The Perks of Being an Arsonist (Book 2 in Perks of Being a Merc)
by RudeAndGinger413
Summary: A Marvel/Sony fic where you don't have to worry about Spideygate happening again. Based loosely on comics and movies. Avengers, X-Men, Deadpool, random other movie, TV, and book characters making cameos. Featuring original character written in related one-shots style. Book 2 out of 7. Don't forget to bring the chimichangas
1. The Girl All The Bad Guys Want

**Girl All The Bad Guys Want**

The phone rang twice before a familiar voice answered it.

"Steve?" Kitty Vics asked, surprise lacing her voice. "Where's dad?"

"_Dealing with the caterer for the fundraiser._" Steve's voice answered through the phone. "_Why, do you need him?_"

"No, I mean, I was just wondering… if I could come...visit you guys." She finished lamely.

"_Of course! You're always welcome, you know that. Will you be here for the fundraiser tomorrow?_"

Kitty paused. Fundraisers meant dresses and dresses are harder to fight in. "Do I have to?"

"_It would make Tony happy."_

"I don't have a gown to wear." She reminded him, hoping he would say she could skip the event.

"_Pepper can take you shopping for one when you get here._"

Kitty let out a long suffering sigh. "Fine." She hung up the phone and switched it off just in time to board her flight to New York, a slight smile on her face.

Held in a very large ballroom, the fundraiser housed rich people in lavish clothing, dancing and mingling with myself. Kitty Vics wore a black, slinky gown that hugged her curves then flared out slightly at her knees. Her hair cascaded down her back in golden waves with a red dahlia tucked behind` her ear. Although she looked the part, Kitty felt incredibly uncomfortable and anxious being near so many rude and rich people. She walked into the room alone but relief quickly washed over her when she spotted a familiar face standing by the bar.

"Logan?" Kitty couldn't help but be shocked to see Wolverine out at such an event, especially in a tuxedo. Instead of the usual white shirt, however, his was blood red. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, technically, I wasn't the one invited. The Professor told me that I was going, threw this suit at me and practically pushed me out of the school." He admitted, finishing his drink. Logan held up his glass. "At least there's an open bar."

"Yeah, I'll give it to him, Tony throws a wicked party." She admitted, moving to stand next to him. She pressed her back to the bar so she could watch the dancers. Even with high heels (Pepper insisted on a pair ridiculously strappy, deep red stilettos), Kitty was still almost a foot shorter than Logan.

On the other side of the room, Tony Stark stood surrounded by boring people. They rambled on about how great this event was and persisted in asking if he would be putting on his Iron Man suit. He saw Kitty across the room, laughing at something a tall man said. It took Tony a moment to recognize the man next to her as the Wolverine. Ignoring the people in front of him, he nudged Steve Rogers and tilted his head in Kitty's direction. "Is that...Logan? You invite him?"

Steve turned and narrowed his eyes. "I sent an invitation to Professor Xavier, but not to him."

"We should probably keep an eye on him." Tony advised, shaking the hand of someone he's never seen before. "He's been known to start fights and Kitty will probably encourage it."

"On it." Steve confirmed as he left his partner's side.

Kitty looked up to see Steve walking towards her and Logan. "Hey, 'Cap." She greeted, punctuating it with a bright smile.

Logan gruffly nodded his head once. "Rogers."

"You two having a fun time?" Steve asked them, definitely sounding like a parent. Both nodded awkwardly and Kitty took this opportunity to sip some more champagne. "Would you like to dance?" He asked Kitty, holding out his hand.

She set her glass on the bar and flashed Logan a smile before taking Steve's hand. Logan watched as the two blondes walked out to the middle of the room and started waltzing to the music.

"So," Steve started, unsure of how to go about this. "Logan here, that's weird, isn't it?"

"A little," She agreed. Steve spun her and they continued dancing. "I don't think he's here to start trouble, though." He nodded and she decided to change the subject. "Steve, when I said I wanted to visit," Kitty paused. "I meant that I wanted to come back to the Avengers. Move back to the Tower."

"I know," Steve admitted softly. "And like I said earlier, you're always welcome here."

She smiled gratefully and her eyes teared up a little. "Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Steve's eyes narrowed in concern and he noticed that there were scrapes and bruises on her knuckles. His eyes flicked to her shoulder and he saw a mark that had been mostly covered by makeup. It suspiciously looked like a partially healed knife wound.

"Yeah, it's just…" Kitty bit her lip and confided, "I missed you guys. Alot." The song changed and a man approached them.

Slightly shorter than Steve, Kitty guessed the man was just shy of six-foot. He had shoulder length, dirty blond hair and broad shoulders. Although he wore the proper attire, the man looked as if he hadn't shaved in a week. He bowed his head at Steve as a smirk curled on his face. "May I cut in?" He asked, his mossy green eyes flashing. Steve turned to Kitty, who looked just as confused as he was.

"Yeah, I guess." She said slowly as she took the stranger's sunkissed hand.

Steve walked back to the bar, keeping his eyes on Kitty and the man.

"So, she's not with that Banner guy anymore, right?" Logan asked. He was staring at Kitty, too, although it was for a vastly different reason than Steve.

Steve, taken aback, stopped watching Kitty and took to inspecting Logan. Logan wasn't really the talkative type, especially not with him. "He broke up with her almost a year ago. Why?" Steve questioned, his eyes narrowing at Logan.

"Nothing, he was just always trailing around her like a sad puppy. Figured something must've happened for her to come here alone." He shrugged his shoulders and took another sip from his glass.

Kitty looked at her new dance partner with the same amount of suspicion Steve was giving Logan. "I'm sorry, I must have missed your name." Kitty hinted, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to appear sweet and innocent.

The man flashed a wide, wolfish smile. "That would be because I didn't say," He confirmed. "Ashley Sinclare LeRoux, at your service, ma'am."

(_Narrator: "For you non-Cajun/French speakin' folks, LeRoux is pronounced La-Rue. The 'x' is not pronounced as an 'x'. You can say Le-Row, but you're on thin fuckin' ice.")_

"Kitty Vics." She narrowed her blue eyes at the stranger. "Ashley, that's an old _Southern_ name."

He laughed, delighted at her knowledge. "Louisiana. And where does the name 'Kitty' come from? Katherine?"

"No, just 'Kitty'," She lied smoothly. "So, Mr. LeRoux, what brings you so far from Louisiana?" He lowered her into a dip, his arm holding her back. She felt his hot breath on her neck and felt uncomfortable with the intimate contact. Kitty's lungs ached as he raised her upright.

"You can call me Ashley." He paused before answering, "And I'm...Old business partners with Mr. Stark." He smiled down at her and an uneasy feeling crept over Kitty. "And what about you? I didn't know they made it a habit of invitin' models to borin' fundraisers like this."

Kitty laughed, the right side of her face curling into a smirk. "Yeah, right. Me, a model. Funny."

"An actress, then?"

Listening to his Southern accent brought back memories Kitty had fought hard to forget and her temper ran low. "I work as chief of security at the Stark Tower." She answered bluntly.

Ashley LeRoux raised his eyebrows. "Chief of security? I must say, ma'am, I'm mighty impressed. I'm also impressed that Mr. Stark can get anythin' done around you." He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear. "You look absolutely ravishin', my dahlia."

Kitty Vics moved back, her eyes flashing. "Well, he's got a partner that he's quite happy with. The blond I was dancing with earlier." She clarified, a tone in her voice that challenged him to comment on her two pseudo-parent's relationship.

"And what about you? Surely someone of your beauty must be spoken for," The music flowed into another song, but they continued dancing. "Married."

"No," Kitty disagreed, finding the conversation to have taken an uncomfortable turn. "I think the practice of marriage is outdated."  
"Then you will obliged to accompany me to dinner tomorrow night." He declared as he spun her.

Kitty blinked in surprise before it melted into anger. She stopped moving and took her hand off his shoulder. "Excuse me, Mr. LeRoux, but I will not 'be accompanyin' you anywhere. I think this dance is over." Kitty turned to leave, but the man held onto her wrist and jerked her back. "Hey! Let go of me!"

"I said, you will accompany me to dinner." He growled, tightening the grip on her wrist hard enough for her to give a yelp of pain. It felt like he was crushing the bones in her wrist to dust and Kitty's eyes started tearing up.

Steve and Logan appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Is there a problem here?" Steve challenged. Logan clenched his hands into fists, ready for a fight. This party just got more interesting, in his opinion. Kitty yanked her arm away from the man and rubbed her throbbing wrist.

"No," Kitty locked eyes with Ashley, her pale face flushed with anger. "We were just finished with our dance. That's all." She hissed, turning away to walk back to the bar. Logan glared at the man before following Kitty. She took some champagne gratefully from a server and drank most of it, trying (unsuccessfully) to let it soothe her frazzled nerves.

Steve went to find Tony, but by then, they were stunned to see that the mysterious man had disappeared.

"You okay?" Logan asked Kitty.

She took a deep breath and self consciously massaged her wrist. "I'm fine." Kitty answered shortly. They stood there at the bar in silence for a few songs before Logan spoke.

"I can go kill him for you," He met her eyes and added, "If you want me to."

Kitty scoffed. "You think I can't?" She asked him, her face curled into a smirk.

"Well," Logan paused, then guestered to her gown. "I didn't think you'd want to get blood on your dress."

"Screw the dress." Kitty spat, searching the room for the mysterious man. "Imma kill 'em...If...I can find him." Her eyebrows drew together upon realizing that she had completely lost track of the man. She saw Tony walking towards the bar and she mentally prepared herself for what was coming.

Kitty took his hand, knowing that there would be more talking than dancing. The next song was slow, so there were few distractions.

"Are you okay?" Tony finally asked.

Kitty bit her lip, trying to think of a good response. "You know, everyone keeps askin' me that, but I don't see why I wouldn't be fine." Her wrist still throbbed and she was tired, but Kitty didn't want to ruin Tony's event or upset him.

"Steve told me about that man." Tony reported. When Kitty stayed silent, he tried again. "I was going to have someone escort him out, but he seems to have...mysteriously disappeared."

"Well, I didn't off him in the foyer with a candlestick if that's what you're hintin' at." She huffed.

Tony felt a twinge of shame but he made himself continue. "Logan?"

"Was with me." She finished. "The bartender can attest to it." The bartender had spent most of the night staring at her breasts, so Kitty figured he might as well be put to good use. Especially since it wasn't her fault the man had vanished.

Tony decided to switch topics. "Steve also told me you want to come back."

Kitty blushed and smiled nervously. "Only if you guys want me back. I'd understand if you don't." She said quickly. "I know I'm not easy to live with-"

"Of course we want you back." Tony burst out. "You're our kid, at this point. Hell, I'll even let Deadpool go on missions with you if it means you'll stay."

She laughed quietly. "You do know I'm going to tell him that, right? I'm holdin' ya to it."

Tony pursed his lips, slightly regretting his words. "Fine. When are you moving back into the Tower?"

"My stuff's already unpacked and put away." Kitty confessed, unable to hold back her smile. She hugged Tony when the song ended. "I missed you, dad."

He smiled widely, as he did every time she called him 'dad'. Tony hugged her back and said, "I missed you too, Kit."


	2. The Black Dahlia

**The Black Dahlia**

The night passed with no more sightings of Ashley Sinclare LeRoux. Kitty tried to sleep in her room at the Tower, but she ended up staying awake most of the night. Every time she felt herself drift off, she would hear Ashley LeRoux taunting her. His voice sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. At one point, she _swore _she could see his eyes watching her restlessness. Her wrist ached despite the Advil she took to ease it and it only added to her frustration. She tossed and turned, alternating between being so cold that her teeth chattered to being too hot and sweating. Kitty had finally dozed off sometime after the sun had set.

She was woken up just after eleven by Deadpool jumping on her bed like a child.

"HEY VICS, WAKEY WAKEY!"

Kitty groaned in response and pulled the covers over her head. Deadpool, seeing this as a challenge, yanked the covers off of her and Kitty was glad that she had worn sweatpants to bed.

"Do you have a deathwish? I mean, I know you can't die, but I can and will shoot you." Kitty informed him as she rubbed her dull eyes, the dark circles standing out vividly from her pale skin.

Deadpool put his hand on his chest in mock-hurt. "But don't you want your flowers?" He asked.

Kitty sat up in bed and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "What the hell are you goin' on about?" Kitty's eyes widened when she remembered what day it was. _They don't know, _she told herself. _They couldn't. _She frantically grabbed her cellphone off its charger and checked the date again to make sure. November 30th. Sighing in frustration, she shoved the phone into her pajama pants pocket.

Deadpool led his friend down to the living room where the Avengers (minus Bruce Banner who, last time she heard, was now in Egypt) stood surrounded by flowers. The arrangements were everywhere, ranging in color and variety. When she entered the room, everyone turned to stare at her. A wave of nausea hit Kitty from the overwhelming perfume of flowers.

"What the actual fuck?" She gasped, examining the closest vase, full of lilies and hydrangeas. Kitty looked up at Tony, her eyes wide with shock.

"So, I take it that you don't know where these came from." Steve said as he waved his hand, gesturing to the arrangement of orchids beside him on the table.

"This came with it." Clint stepped around a very large vase of red roses to hand her a white envelope.

Kitty took it numbly and opened it, ignoring everyone's stares. Deadpool was looking curiously over her shoulder as she pulled out a piece of black parchment with elegant white script.

"To my dearest dahlia," Kitty read aloud. "With love." Her mouth opened in shock and she cocked her head to the side at Tony. "Ashley."

"Oooh, Vicky has an admirer! How cute!" Deadpool tried to pinch her cheek, but she was too fast for him. Kitty grabbed his hand roughly and he backed away, recognizing the deadly look in her tired eyes.

"Is this Ashley the one that grabbed you last night?" Tony asked her.

Kitty nodded mutely.

"Wait," Deadpool held up his hands. "Someone grabbed Vics last night and survived?" He asked incredulously.

She pushed up the sleeve on her arm. A distinct, deep purple and black, hand-shaped bruise circled her small, pale wrist. The whole room seemed to take in a deep breath as they surveyed the damage.

"Fuck." Deadpool muttered, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should do business with less scummy people." She shot at Tony as she walked past him to the kitchen. She poured herself a large cup of coffee and took a drink, ignoring the burn as it ran down her throat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony asked.

Kitty moved a vase full of dahlias to the floor and sat on the kitchen counter. "Well, the guy was at your fundraiser and he said you two have done business with each other for awhile. And here I thought Deadpool and I were the worst of your friends." She yawned and ignored Deadpool faux-hurt at the last remark.

Tony eyebrows laced together. "He tell you about himself? His full name, anything?"

"Yeah," Kitty replied. She took another sip of her coffee. "Ashley Sinclare LeRoux." She let a Southern accent slide through to resemble Ashley's voice. "Said he's from Louisiana."

"Hey JARVIS," Tony called. "Check employee files. See if we've ever worked with a LeRoux before."

The group waited in silence as JARVIS worked through the data. "_There are no files of employment for any Ashley LeRoux_." The cool voice answered.

"Probably gave you a false name, Котенок." Natasha suggested. She sat down in a large, comfortable chair and put her legs on Clint Barton's lap.

"JARVIS, please do an Internet wide search." Kitty requested. "If it's a name change, there'll be court files for it. The guy's got to be rich; This flower's a peony." All she got were blank stares. "It's a wedding flower, definitely out of season. I don't even know where you would get dark purple peonies. Just this flower alone is expensive enough and there's gotta be more than two grand in flowers right now in this room. And we should probably have 'em checked for poison. The petals of roses are waxy and can hold chemicals on them easily, while the fragrance can disguise the smell of most poisons."

"How do you know so much about flowers?" Steve asked, baffled.

Kitty paused, then rubbed her eyes. "He's got to be from old, Southern money. Probably Louisiana territory." She deflected. "That kind of accent is hard to fake and his was definitely real."

_"I have a result, Ms. Vics._" JARVIS informed them and silence fell over the room. "_Mr. LeRoux was born in Mansfield, Louisiana. His father's name was Jackson Harper LeRoux, who worked with Mr. Howard Stark..._"

"Jackson Harper?" Tony shook his head, raising one hand to rub his temple. "That explains it."

"Thank you, JARVIS. You know him?" Kitty asked Tony as she refilled her Deadpool mug with the last of the coffee before starting a new batch.

(_Narrator: "This was an unspoken rule in the Tower- "Ye Who Drinks The Last Of The Substance Of Life Makes More". Steve had even taken to sticking notes on the coffee machine that reminded Kitty and Tony that, "No, coffee is not food. Go eat something."_)

"Knew. He died before my father did. Harper worked with him on weapons design. He had his own company that contracted with us and the government." Tony shook his head and said, "I never met his kid."

"Okay," Steve said slowly. "Then why show up last night if you two never actually worked together?"

Nobody had time to answer, for at that moment, a sharp ringing could be heard coming from Kitty's pajama pants. She hopped off the kitchen counter and started searching her pockets frantically. She finally produced her cell phone, which still rung obnoxiously, and she stared at the screen. It was an unknown number. Cautiously, she pressed the 'accept' button and raised the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, my dear._" A smooth voice answered.

"How the fuck did you get this number?" She demanded.

A deep sigh could be heard through the other side of the line. "_Money talks, my beautiful dahlia. Now, be a doll and give the phone to Mr. Stark, if you would._"

Kitty's eyes met Tony's. "Mr. Stark's not here right now. I'd ask if you'd like to leave a message, but seein' as I'm not his keeper…"

"_Let's not play games,_" He advised her lavishly. _"I know Mr. Stark is standin' right across the room from you. Put him on the phone. Please._"

Kitty sighed and closed her eyes, handing the phone off the Tony. She tried to ignore the anger and paranoia that flooded her mind.

"_Hello, Mr. Stark_." Ashley greeted him.

"What do you want?" Tony responded, in no mood for pleasantries.

_"Is everyone at Stark Tower as unfriendly as you?"_

"Yes." Tony answered shortly.

"_Fine_." Ashley spat. "_I was goin' to do this nicely, but my temper is runnin' low. I would like a meetin' with you and Ms. Vics tonight at my office._"

"Like hell I'd let you anywhere near her."

Steve and Deadpool moved closer to Kitty, as if to protect her from the voice on the phone.

"_The Rose Garden, then. A public place, plenty of witnesses. Oh, and let's make this as... pleasant as possible. No weapons, just the three of us havin' a nice meetin'._"

Tony shook his head, sliding his eyes shut. "Fine." He agreed, knowing that this was the only way to settle this.

"_That wasn't nearly as hard as I was expectin'. Now, if you could hand the phone back to Ms. Vics._"

The phone made its way back to a now quite furious Kitty.

"_I will see you tonight at six. And I was right, was I not?_" He asked pompously.

"About what?" Kitty sneered.

"_You and I havin' dinner tonight. See you then._"

Kitty heard the click of the line going dead. She turned to Tony. "Imma kill 'em. Imma rip out the annoying bloody tongue of his, then cook it in gumbo and feed it to him."

"We'll settle this." Tony sighed, sitting in a chair and rubbing his eyes. "He said he wanted to talk business, and that's what we'll do."

"If it's just business, why me?" Kitty asked the question on everyone's mind.

"No way Kitty's going in there without backup." Deadpool cracked his knuckles as he moved closer to Kitty. Steve nodded in agreement, as did Natasha.

"LeRoux said just the three of us, no weapons. We'll be at the Rose Garden, so at least it's out in public."

"I'm not going anywhere near him without a weapon." Kitty protested. She grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and pressed it lightly on her wrist, wincing as the cold seemed to burn her skin. "I'll hide one in my suit if I have to. I've got a knife that'll fit in my boot."

"The Rose Garden isn't exactly somewhere you can wear your suit to…" Tony's voice trailed off, knowing where this was going.

"Oh, no." Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "No more dresses. Hell no."

"Kit…" Tony tried, ignoring Deadpool's laughter. Even Steve smiled a little.

"I don't even own another fancy dress!" Kitty threw her hands up in the air. "I have one, uno! Ugh." She ran her hands through her hair and put it up with a ponytail holder.

"I can go shopping with you." Steve offered quietly.

"Dios maldita sea, Tony. Espero que sepas que estás pagando por esta mierda." Kitty rambled as she left the room.

Deadpool laughed loudly, watching her leave with amusement. "She said you're footing the bill." He translated for Tony.


	3. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

**Gentlemen Prefer Blondes**

A half hour later, Kitty left her room, ready for the herculean task of dress shopping. "Come on, 'Cap." She called to Steve. He sitting next to Tony, who silently held out a blue credit card. Kitty snatched it from his hands and slid it in her back pocket. He didn't even bother giving her a limit on what she could spend.

"Ms. Vixen!" Dopinder greeted as Kitty and Steve climbed into the cab.

"Hey, Dopinder." Kitty tried to smile. The taxi ride felt tense and uncomfortable and Steve attempted to break the silence.

"You know," He began. "Most women love dresses." Steve was rewarded with a glare from Kitty, obvious even through the sunglasses. "Tony doesn't want to do this either."

Kitty sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just...I don't get why this guy's fixated on me. I'm not even that interesting."

"I think you're interesting." Steve said, frowning slightly.

"I do, too." Dopinder chimed in.

"Thanks, guys." Kitty smiled softly as the car stopped. She got out while Steve paid the cabbie and joined her on the sidewalk in front of the store. "Let's get this over with." Kitty scowled at the dress shop as if it had personally offended her. Steve opened the door for her and immediately, a salesman attacked.

"Hi! How can I help you two?" He said cheerfully. Short and lean, the man had dark hair that was artistically combed into a fashionable style.

"She needs a dress for tonight." Steve answered. The man looked at Kitty from head to toe, scrutinizing her every curve.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" He asked Kitty, lightly caressing her golden hair.

"Um…I don't really know." She shrugged, uncomfortable at the man touching her hair.

"Something...tight," The man said, nodding at Steve. "Don't you think your wife would look stunning in something that hugs her curves?" The man slid closer to Steve, who now looked as unnerved as Kitty.

Kitty laughed at Steve's terrified face. "We're not together. We're just friends and I needed a man's opinion."

The salesman's eyes lit up. "Well, why don't we get you something to try on. And you," He turned to Steve, "Can go sit by the dressing rooms."

The first dress could only be described as awful. It was a bright, lime green color with white ruffles in odd places. Kitty tried it on and shuddered at her reflection. She stuck her head out from the curtain and informed Steve and the salesman that she would not be coming out in that.

The next dress was a deep blue fabric with silver sparkles scattered around. It was floor length with a slit up the left side that went up to the middle of her thigh. The dress looked like the night sky with twinkling stars and Kitty fell in love instantly. It even fit perfectly, giving her a beautiful hourglass figure. She stepped out of the dressing room to where Steve and the man sat waiting. The salesman stood up immediately to fawn over Kitty.

"Doesn't she look great?" He asked Steve, who had stood up as well.

"You look beautiful, Kitty." Steve smiled as Kitty twirled in the gown.

"I love it." She said, looking in the mirror again.

"Good. We'll take it." Steve told the man, who looked slightly disappointed.

"But I have other dresses she should see! She's like a perfect Barbie doll!" The man whined. Kitty rolled her eyes and went to change out of the gown. She could hear the salesman fishing on Steve's relationship status and moved faster to try to help him escape.

The salesman brought over matching silver stilettos, much to the chagrin of Kitty. They were slightly higher than the ones last night and Kitty could feel the foot pain just by looking at them. She hurried to tie her boots knowing that the sooner they paid for everything, the sooner they could leave.

The man then insisted that they get her some jewelry, leading them to a large counter full of sparkling jewels and stones.

Steve picked out the jewelry. The set was silver ivy with a dark blue sapphire flower pendant. The ring that went with it was simple, a silver twisted band with a sapphire stone set in it. Kitty instantly fell in love with the set but then shuddered at the price.

She turned and whispered to Steve, "Okay, I'm upset at Tony, but not enough for him to have to pay for this."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you it's your birthday present?" Steve asked before telling the salesman to wrap up the jewelry set.

Kitty stared at Steve, her mouth gaping slightly. "How...How did you know?" She stuttered.

"Tony and I...We found your original birth certificate." Steve explained, looking down at the ground like a kicked puppy.

"You found or you looked?

"We looked."

Kitty bit her lip. "...Did you look up my family?" She asked quietly. Kitty handed Tony's credit card to the man, her eyes still locked on Steve.

"No, just your birth certificate. We figured that if you wanted us to know about your family, you'd tell us when you were ready." Steve took the bags that the salesman gave him and opened the door for Kitty.

They sat in the taxi in silence for several minutes before Kitty finally spoke.

"My mother owned a flower shop." She whispered.

"What?" Steve asked, bewildered.

"You asked earlier how I knew so much about flowers." Kitty looked out the window of the taxi and watched the city fly by. "My mother owned a small flower shop. It was real popular for weddings."

"Oh." Steve didn't know what to say. She rarely ever offered information about her birth family that Steve didn't really know what to say whenever she did.

"Sometimes, I wonder if she's still got it."

"I can have Tony check-"

"No!" Kitty interrupted. When she saw Steve's face, she felt a twinge of guilt. "I don't, uh, I don't think I could...I just can't."

Steve nodded. "It's okay, I just wanted to help." The cab stopped in front of Stark Tower and Kitty let herself out, waiting for Steve.

"Thank you, Steve. I'm sorry I'm so weird...It's just, with my birthday, then this Ashley LeRoux thing..." Kitty apologized in the elevator. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"I know your real family wasn't a very good one, but you mean a lot to us. All of us think of you as family." Steve explained as they crossed through the flower covered kitchen to the private elevators.

"You guys are my real family." Kitty corrected as she entered the code to take them up to her room. Steve set the dress box and the bags on her bed before hugging Kitty. "I think I'm going to go find Tony and apologize for earlier. It's not his fault I've gotten a creep's attention."

"I'll send him in." Steve told her gently. He left her room and went to find Tony.

Tony sat in front of one of his many computers, typing away madly. He didn't even turn away from it when Steve came into their room. The blonde wrapped his arms around his partner's chest and set his chin on Tony's shoulder.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked, trying to decipher the numbers on the computer screen.

"One of the pieces of coding is wrong, and JARVIS doesn't know why-" He stopped to rub his eyes tiredly, then turned to Steve. "It's nothing that can't wait. How'd it go?"

Steve pulled out the other chair and sat in it. "She wants to talk to you."

Tony sighed. "Let's get this over with." He got up from his chair and stretched so his body was long and lean, catching Steve's attention.

"She said she wanted to apologize." Steve explained, still watching Tony with interest.

"Oh," Tony marveled. "She's not mad?" His eyes brightened when Steve shook his head. Tony kissed Steve before leaving to go talk to Kitty.

Kitty took the dress out of it's bag and hung it on the closet door, admiring it. She didn't even notice Tony standing in the doorway.

"It's pretty." Tony announced loudly. Kitty jumped slightly and drew her gun to point at the door. Tony raised his hands non threateningly. "It's just me, calm down." He stepped further in the room and shut the door.

Kitty took a deep breath and slowly lowered her weapon. "Sorry. Force of habit, I guess." She set her gun on her bedside table and brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

"Rough year?" Tony asked with a nod to the weapon. It had been a while since she had drawn a gun on him, after she had finally started trusting the Avengers. It worried Tony that she might be back in the incredibly dangerous, unstable mindset.

"Little bit…" Kitty sighed.

"I don't remember you having a scar there," Tony nodded at a circular shaped scar on her forearm that suspiciously looked like a bullet hole.

A heavy, awkward silence fell over the room. "Tony, I wanted to apologize. This LeRoux thing isn't your fault. I was just already on edge because of my birthday, then those damn flowers…" She sat on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. "I was outta line and I'm sorry."

"I know, kiddo." He sat on her bed next to her. "We'll go to this meeting tonight, and hopefully never have to deal with this LeRoux guy again." Kitty smiled weakly. Tony opened up the jewelry bag and took out the box.

"Steve picked it out." She explained as Tony lifted the necklace up to the light to inspect it. He unhooked the clasp as Kitty lifted up her hair so Tony could fasten it around her neck.

"He's got good taste." Tony commented. "It matches your eyes."

"There's a ring, too." Kitty rummaged through the bags until she found the small, square box to hand to Tony. "I figured, I can't wear the necklace everyday, but the ring…" She shrugged, smiling. "Plus, could you imagine the damage this baby would leave on someone's cheekbone?"

Tony laughed as he moved off her bed. "I'll let you get ready. Oh, and," He looked over his shoulder. "Happy birthday."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Thanks, dad." She said with a smirk as Tony left her room.

Several hours later, Kitty emerged from her room. She wore half of her hair pulled up in a bun held together by chopsticks, while the rest flowed wavy down her back. The makeup on her pale face was natural and flattering. She figured that the jewelry and dress was flashy enough without heavy makeup. A pair of silvery satin gloves ran up to her elbows. Kitty stepped out of her room and took the lift to the family room where Tony, Steve, and (most surprisingly) Logan sat.

"Hey, Logan," Kitty called with a smile. "What are you doin' here?"

Logan stared at her, mouth slightly agape, until Steve cleared his throat loudly. He stood up fast, as did Steve and Tony. "Uh, just came to check up on you. From last night." He clarified, still refusing to take his eyes off her.

She slowly turned in a circle. "Whatcha think, guys?"

"Beautiful, as always." Tony told her as Steve leaned over to fix his partner's jacket.

"You, uh, look okay." Logan said lamely. "How's your wrist?"

"Fine. Just sore." She turned to Tony, glad her gloves hid the wound. "Are you ready?"

"Are you armed?" Tony asked Kitty pointedly. She sighed, rolling her eyes. Kitty raised the hem of her dress and revealed a gun hooked to her right leg on a garter. Steve looked mildly horrified as she unhooked the weapon and deposited it on the table.

She slid the garter off, which also had an extra clip somehow hooked in. Next, Kitty unclipped the strap on her shoes and slid them off to reveal a knife tucked away in each one. Then, she reached up to the black chopsticks in her hair and pulled them out, letting her hair fall down onto her shoulders in waves. She yanked apart the chopsticks to reveal that they were thin (but long) blades that slid into a case to appear innocent.

She had on two rings over her gloves; The one Steve had bought her and an oval one with a cherry red stone set into it. Kitty shucked it off and set it down on the table.

"It's a poison ring," Kitty explained. "You open up the top and it holds poison that you can slip into someone's food or drink."

"Is that it?" Logan nodded to the weapons on the table. Kitty glared at him as she reached down the front of her gown and produced a medium-sized knife. She put it in Logan's outstretched hand, trying to ignore the disappointment written on Tony's face. Logan pressed the button on the handle and the blade automatically flew out.

"You know, switchblades are illegal in New York." Tony reminded Kitty, giving her a look that they unanimously named "The Dad Look".

Kitty sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "They're illegal everywhere." Tony and Steve were still staring at her.

She rolled her eyes and slid off her gloves to reveal several razor blades pressed against her skin. Kitty threw the gloves down with the razors and replaced the ring Steve got her. She tried to hide her purple wrist from Logan, but she saw his eyes take in the sight.

"That's it, I swear." Kitty confirmed, looking Logan smugly in the eyes. He was honestly impressed as he closed the knife and slid it into his pocket. She pointed her pale finger at Logan and said, "And that's mine and I will want it back."

"Okay, let's go or we'll be late." Tony declared, locking arms with Kitty.

"Oh no," Kitty said sarcastically. "We wouldn't want to be late." She could hear Logan laughing as she and Tony left the Tower.


	4. American Beauty, American Psycho

**American Beauty, American Psycho**

Kitty looked at the entrance to the upscale restaurant and felt a wave of anxiety. "Tony…"

Dressed in a suit, the doorman smiled widely when he saw them. He held open the extravagant door and Kitty's eyes tried to adjust to the dim lighting. A band was playing in the corner and the soft music could be heard flowing through the restaurant, mingling with faint voices in conversations. The tables, filled with men and women in formal attire, were far enough apart to ensure privacy. Kitty secretly felt relieved that she wasn't the only one dressed up; One woman wore a fur coat that Kitty suspected was real.

Tony looked down at Kitty's worried face. "It'll be okay." He assured her as they walked up to the podium at the front of the restaurant.

"Hi, do you have a reservation?" A dark haired woman asked Tony, completely ignoring Kitty.

"LeRoux." Kitty answered smoothly.

The woman (whose nametag read "Lila") ran her eyes up and down Kitty's figure, pausing slightly on her hand that was wrapped around Tony's arm. She scowled then looked down at the book on her podium.

"Ms. Vics and Mr. Stark?" Lila asked, batting her fake eyelashes at Tony, who nodded. She smiled brightly at him and turned to lead them to the table, making an effort to sway her nonexistent hips. Kitty couldn't help but roll her eyes at the woman's desperate attempt to get Tony's attention. She took them to a table in the corner where Ashley LeRoux sat patiently.

Ashley stood up and pulled out the chair across from him for Kitty to sit in. She sat down, carefully crossing her legs to show off her left leg through the dress' slit. While Ashley's eyes were distracted, she surveyed the area.

Ashley wore a deep blue suit with unremarkable brown shoes. Down by Ashley's feet lay a brown suitcase and a half empty glass of red wine sat in front of him. He still hadn't shaved and Kitty came to the conclusion that the man didn't own a razor. Despite the scruff, Ashley never had a full beard, as if he wanted to look rugged while still maintaining class. What a pretentious ass.

"Can I get you anything?" Lila asked Tony as he sat down next to Kitty.

"No, thank you." Tony replied distractedly, refusing to take his eyes off Mr. LeRoux. Lila turned around and left, disappointed in Tony's lack of interest.

"Hello, my sweet dahlia." Ashley purred. "You look absolutely ravishin' tonight."

Kitty resisted the urge to throw something and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Hello, Mr. LeRoux."

"Please, call me Ashley." He smiled at her. The smile vanished when he cooly addressed Tony. "Mr. Stark."

A male waiter showed up, holding a bottle of red wine. "Hello, everybody," He greeted, not noticing the tension at the table. "May I interest you in some wine? Or perhaps another drink?"

"No," Kitty turned to look at the waiter. He was around her age, attractive, with ginger hair and hazel eyes. He seemed to waiver under her gaze, unable to break eye contact. "We won't be staying very long." Her lips curled into her most dazzling smile and the waiter stuttered, his feet rooted to the spot. "You can go now." Kitty told him, and the man blinked rapidly as he wandered away.

"I see you have that effect on most people." Ashley looked pointedly at Tony when he said "most".

"It's a gift," Kitty quipped shortly. "Now why did you call us here?"

"All business, no play…" Ashley took a sip from his wine glass. "I would like to renegotiate our father's previous agreement between our companies."

"We don't make weapons anymore." Tony reminded him, his voice filled with warning.

"And yet, there she sits." Ashley pointedly stared at Kitty, a light smirk on his face.

"You already knew that Stark Industries got out of that business a while ago..." Kitty accused the Southern man after deciding to ignore his comment. "So, why did you really call us here?" She lightly drummed her nails on the tablecloth, unable to keep still.

"Smart and beautiful," Ashley complimented. "What a fascinatin'ly deadly combination." Tony cleared his throat loudly, and Mr. LeRoux flicked his eyes in his direction before concentrating back on Kitty. "Did you enjoy the flowers, cher?" He asked her with a sly grin. "I thought they might brighten your special day."

Kitty paused and Ashley seemed to enjoy the effect that had on her. "Tony, could you please go get me a drink." Kitty requested. "I believe Mr. LeRoux would like to speak to me alone."

Tony narrowed his eyes, not liking the shift in the atmosphere at the table. "Are you sure?" As the tension at the table grew, Tony felt regret for making Kitty give up her weapons stash.

"Yes." She whispered. Tony begrudgingly got up and crossed the room to the bar, where he sat with Kitty in full view.

"I didn't know you were in such a hurry to be alone with me." Ashley gushed, reaching one hand over the table to hold her hand. She moved it, placing both of her hands gently in her lap.

"I don't think it'd be wise to hold hands with you," She held up the bruised wrist, and Ashley visibly winced. "It didn't go so well for me last time."

"I'm sorry, my beautiful dahlia." He apologized, casting his eyes downwards. "My temper gets the better of me sometimes." Ashley's mouth twitched upward as he looked back up at her. "But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kitty kept her face blank and she maintained eye contact with the man.

"Now, now. Playin' dumb doesn't suit you, my dear. I came here to talk business, remember?" Ashley leaned in closer, on the edge of his seat. She could smell his cologne now and ignored the urge to leave.

"What do you want?" Kitty growled through clenched teeth, her face flush with anger and fear. She glanced over at Tony, who sipped a drink casually, but his eyes were still locked on them.

"You." Ashley answered. Kitty turned back to look at Ashley and smirked, so he continued. "To come work for me." His green eyes seemed to glow as he said that and they gave Kitty an uneasy feeling.

"And why would I work for you?" She asked, her voice like acid.

"Because you're on the wrong team." He divulged with a smile, as if proud that she wasn't a hero like the rest of the team. "I'll pay you triple what Mr. Stark is payin' you, and you won't have to restrain yourself when it comes to your...job. Besides," He leaned back slightly, straightening his back and shoulders. "I understand now that Mr. Banner is gone, nothin' is keepin' you tethered there. But his loss is my gain."

"I work security. Nothing more." Kitty denied. She smoothed her dress self consciously, which was not lost on Mr. LeRoux. He could tell that he had struck a nerve mentioning her ex. Kitty glanced down at the table before muttering, "And Mr. Banner has nothing to do with any of this."

"You were in Special Forces, and have one of the highest known list of confirmed kills. You're good at your job and you enjoy it." He tilted his head at her and smiled. "And now you work for Mr. Stark for a project, rompin' around the city catchin' bad guys. But let's face it, you and I both know that this isn't the right side for you."

Kitty rolled her eyes and smirked. "So," She shrugged. "You read my file. Is that supposed to impress me? Scare me? Because it's not working. It's actually quite a pitiful attempt."

"No," Ashley disagreed. "I have no desire to scare you, cher. It was simply to remind you that mercenaries belon' where the money is, and that's with me."

Kitty felt a burning rage surge through her, and she dug her nails into the palm of her hand. "I am where I belong. And not even money is going to change that. Now, if that's all you'd like to talk about, I believe the topic is closed." She stood up to leave, but Ashley cleared his throat, making her pause.

"I do hope you don't think I've ruined your birthday."

She turned to face him. "It's not my birthday." Kitty lied smoothly.

"What did I say about lyin'?" He chastised. "Besides, I already had your presents delivered."

"Yes, well, the flowers were lovely." She managed to choke out. "It's crossed my mind that they might be poisoned, though."

Ashley sighed. "No, the flowers are not poisoned. Besides, I'm more fond of explosives." He divulged, biting his lip slightly. "The flowers weren't the gift, though. If only I'd had it delivered this mornin' so you could have worn the one tonight. I would murder to see it on you." She didn't leave, but she didn't sit down like he'd wished. "Ms. Vics, I was hopin' you would leave this meetin' as a friend and coworker, but maybe they'll help you change your mind."

"I highly doubt it." Kitty clenched her teeth and walked over to where Tony stood. "We're leaving. Now." She grabbed his arm as he escorted her past the podium and out the doors.

"What did he want?" Tony demanded as they climbed into the car.

Kitty paused, trying to think of the best way to word Ashley's proposal. "He wants me to come work for him... As a mercenary."

"What'd you say?" He asked quietly, bracing himself for the bad news. "I'm sure he offered you a lot."

"I kindly told him to fuck off, in a few nicer words, given the fancy settin' and all." She stared at Tony in disbelief, her blue eyes wide. "Do you really think I would leave you guys for that psycho?"

Tony brightened instantly. "Well, no." Kitty raised her eyebrow, sceptical. "Okay, yeah. I didn't want to think it, but if he offered you more money, or something better…" He admitted. "Why would you stay?"

"You think I stay with all of you for the money? I made more working freelance." Kitty brushed a strand of hair out of her face and started picking at her thumbnail. "I stay because...I love you guys." She mumbled.

"We love you, too." He put his arm around Kitty's shivering frame. Tony shrugged off his black suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "So, is that all he wanted?"

Kitty shoved her arms into the jacket, gripped it closer, and looked out the window before whispering, "He knows it's my birthday."

"What?" Tony stared at her. "How?"

"I don't know. But he called when we had JARVIS look him up and now he knows my birthday." Kitty pointed out. "Maybe we should see if there's a bug or virus in the system."

Tony nodded. "I'll check on it. So, I guess that explains the flowers."

"Apparently, those weren't my "presents"," Kitty grumbled. "My presents are waiting at home."


	5. She Had The World

**She Had The World**

Steve and Logan were sitting at the dinner table, waiting awkwardly for Tony and Kitty. Two boxes had arrived and were sitting on the table, covered in black wrapping paper, with a large red bow on the tops. Kitty walked in first and Logan had to suppress the urge to joke at her wearing Tony's jacket, the fabric almost brushing her knees.

"Oh, fuck a duck." Kitty swore loudly upon seeing the boxes. She pulled Tony's warm jacket around her closer but now her shivering wasn't from the cold.

"You didn't tell me it was your birthday." Logan complained, his face breaking out into a toothy smile.

"I didn't tell anyone." She shot back, glaring at the offending presents. Logan's smile faded and Kitty's heart felt like it had belly flopped. She turned her attention back to the table with the presents, because even that was better than looking at Logan's frown. A large, square box sat on top of a long, wide gift. Both looked very uninviting as she sat down in the chair next to Logan. "Let's get this over with."

She started with the larger one, ripping off the paper and balling it up before throwing it across the room into the trash. Kitty focused her attention on the red velvet box with pearls and rubies ingrained in the gold siding. It was heavy and looked extremely expensive to Kitty. She glanced at the three men, who looked as shocked as she felt.

A panic coursed its way through Kitty's veins as she vividly remembered her conversation with Ashley. She could almost hear him whispering, "Besides, I'm more fond of explosives". Her heart felt like it was beating through her chest and a cool sweat broke out over her body. Kitty felt lightheaded as she bent down, holding her hair back as she pressed her ear softly to the box.

"What are you doing? Tony asked, puzzled as she gently tapped the box, still listening carefully.

"What if it's a bomb?" Kitty cautioned, peering at the box. She sat up straight, her face completely blank as she turned to face the three men. "Leave. Get out of here."

Logan met her eyes and scoffed, "I don't think so."

"Please," Kitty begged. "We can't risk movin' it if it's pressure sensitive, and I ain't bringin' you guys down with me. Whatever this LeRoux guy has done, it's because of me. So, go. Leave."

Tony quietly sat down in the chair between Steve and Kitty. "We're not leaving, Kitty." Steve argued. She looked at Logan, a pleading look in her blue eyes. He shook his head slowly and remained seated.

"It's not like it'll kill me." Logan reminded her with a shrug.

She took a deep breath before carefully unhooking the boxes clasp. Kitty couldn't help but gasp at what lay inside. Everyone focused their attention on the box.

"What is it?" Steve worried, trying to see what the mysterious box held.

Kitty coughed out, "It's...a tiara."

An intricate, silver crown with sapphires and pearls sat in the plush velvet box. The tiara was easily the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It twinkled and shined, and a part of Kitty's brain made the connection that it matched the gown she wore. She carefully lifted it from the box and held it up for Tony, Steve, and Logan to see.

"Tony," She handed the tiara carefully to Tony, who inspected it. "Please tell me this ain't real. Please tell me its fake silver and paste stones, made of plaster and cardboard."

"There's something else." Logan picked up a picture from the box and handed it to Kitty.

It was a small portrait of King Henry VIII's wife Anne Boleyn, who wore the crown proudly on her head. It was unmistakable as the same tiara. Kitty felt her heart skip a beat as she set her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands.

"It's real. There's a certificate of authenticity in the gold chest, which is also real." Tony set the crown carefully in its box in front of Kitty. She lifted her head and touched the crown gently.

"It's beautiful. Completely and utterly ridiculous, but beautiful. And you know what the bastard said?" She lifted the crown off the table and set it gently on her head. "He said he should've sent it this mornin' so I could wear it to the restaurant. Because it matches my dress."

"Look who's a little princess." Logan teased. Kitty whopped him on the shoulder playfully, careful to keep the crown from falling off.

"Open the other one." Tony requested, handing the long box to Kitty.

"Well," She started ripping the paper off. "If it's anything like the tiara, I'll have to send it back."

It was a long case similar to the tiara's, with stones set into the gold and velvet. Inside it lay a very large sword. The hilt matched her crown and the blade was incredibly sharp. Kitty tried to lift it, but found it to be heavier than she'd thought. Using both hands, and no small amount of determination, she managed to remove it from its case.

"A sword?" Logan raised his eyebrows. Kitty handed it to him, which he took in one hand, easily. It was made for someone his size, not hers, and she felt a twinge of jealousy at that.

"To go along with my tiara. Maybe he'll send me an entire court! Or a castle!" Kitty suggested sarcastically as Logan passed the sword to Steve. "I mean, really. Who the hell does this guy think he is?"

"Well, at least it's not a bomb." Tony pointed out. He picked up the tiara's box and examined it.

Kitty suddenly rose from her chair and walked into the kitchen, ignoring the confused expressions on her friend's faces. She came back holding her cellphone, her attention focused on the small screen. Logan noticed that she was still wearing the tiara. She held the phone up to her ear, brushing a strand of hair out of the way.

"Hello, Ashley." Kitty greeted coolly, going to great lengths to keep her voice level.

"_My sweet dahlia, how lovely it is to hear your voice!_" Ashley LeRoux beamed. "_I take it you have gotten your gifts then._"

"Yes, I have." Kitty looked down at the floor, ignoring her friend's prying eyes. "And I think it would be best if I returned them to you."

_"If you'd like to see me again, Kitty, you could just ask_." He informed her suggestively. "_You don't have to pretend to want to return my gifts just to meet with me._"

"I'm not pretending." Kitty argued. "The gifts are too extravagant and I can't accept them. I won't work for you, so you can have your "starting bonus" back." Logan and Steve looked at Tony, alarmed at the comment.

She could hear Ashley sigh loudly on the other line. "_They were gifts, not startin' bonuses_." She could almost see him rolling his eyes. _"I won't take them back, cher."_

"They're real." She huffed, turning her back on the three men. "I can't just keep them."

"_Well, of course they're real. I'm not goin' to send a woman of your beauty and stature fake jewels, my dahlia. I saw the crown and thought of you, and how the sapphires match your strikin' eyes. And the sword_," Ashley laughed. "_I just assumed you would appreciate a finely crafted weapon_."

"This doesn't change my mind," She warned him. "I won't work for you."

"_You will._" The Southern man promised. "_Besides, I don't think Mr. Stark will be employin' you much longer. Or anyone else, for that matter._"

Kitty heard the click of the line going dead and she threw her phone as hard as she could.

"¡Ese bastardo! Ese gilipollas egoísta!" She screamed in rage, her face growing flushed.

Tony approached her slowly, his hands held out in front of him as if she was an animal that needed soothing.

"You know," Logan started. "With that crown on, throwing a tantrum like that, you really look like a little princess."

"Not helping." Steve growled.

Kitty shocked them all by laughing. She took off the crown and collapsed into a chair, her body shaking as she had a fit of hysterical laughter that she couldn't seem to stop.

Tony, Steve, and Logan all exchanged looks of concern as Kitty continued her fit.

"Kitty?" Logan intoned, crouching down in front of her so he could look at her face. Tears were streaming down her face as the laughs turned into soft sobs.

"I don't want to leave." She whispered before wrapping her arms around Logan's neck and burying her face in his shirt. "But I can't let you guys get hurt."

Logan looked up at Tony and Steve, unsure of what to do with a crying woman latched onto him. He cautiously placed his arms around her small frame, still slightly uncomfortable with the contact. "You're going anywhere and no one's hurt." He murmured in her ear, tucking a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. "We're all fine."

She peeled her face off of Logan's shirt and looked up to Tony with sad, teary eyes. "Why won't he just leave us alone?" Logan's arms were still wrapped around Kitty, but she managed to get an arm free to wipe away some of the tears. "For once, I'd like to just arrest or kill someone without them harassing me or threatenin' my family!"

"He threatened you?" Steve asked, his eyes burning with rage.

"No," Kitty shook her head. "He...threatened Tony. Well, kinda." She glanced at Logan, whose face was closer than she expected. She looked back down at the floor and squeaked, "He said, "I don't think Mr. Stark will be employin' you much longer. Or anyone, for that matter.""

The atmosphere in the room shifted and Tony seemed to snap into motion. "We've got to get all the Avengers here, go on lockdown."

Steve nodded curtly and Logan started giving suggestions from an X-Men point of view.

"Wait, what if that's what he wants?" Kitty suggested, and all three men's eyes flicked in her direction. "I mean, think about it," She sat up straighter, a bit difficult with Logan's arms still around her, but she liked the contact too much to move from the embrace. "All the Avengers all in one place. This guy's job is to design and build bombs. He's obviously got the money and knowledge to be a problem…" Her voice trailed off.

"What do you think?" Tony asked Steve, who was grounded to the spot. The blond looked at Kitty and Logan, then back to Tony.

"Deadpool and Peter are the only ones not here right now." Steve informed them. "I say we call them in and see if they'll stay. Banner is in Kenya and he's probably safest there. Logan," Wolverine's head shot up at the mention of his name. "Are you willing to stay here tonight?"

He nodded.

"I'll call Deadpool." Kitty begrudgingly volunteered upon realizing that her concern was not going to be taken seriously. She untangled herself from Logan's arms and stood up. "After I get out of this dress."

She could hear the three men talking about the lockdown as she entered her accesscode before pressing the elevator button marked '6'. She got off the lift when it opened and crossed through her small living room. Kitty opened her bedroom door, her mind deep in thought. She stripped off the dress and slid on a pair of leggings and a tee shirt before washing off what little makeup was left on her face. Kitty unhooked the clasp on her necklace and shut it protectively in its box with the ring before placing it in a bureau drawer. She then sat perfectly still on her bed, staring straight ahead at the wall as her mind reeled over the events of the night.

_Maybe it's all a dream, _she thought. _The crown, the sword. Hell, maybe even the fundraiser was all part of a dream. Some twisted Cinderella fantasy that I'm going to wake up from. Probably took a fatal hit from a baddie, now I'm hallucinating while I die. Or Loki is fucking with my head again. She smiled softly. That would explain why Logan was being uncharacteristically nice._

"It's not real," She reasoned aloud, her voice lethargic. "This is all just a dream."

"Kitty? Are you okay?" Her head jerked up to look at Logan, who stood in the doorway with her gifts. "The door was open and I came to check on you."

Kitty's eyes were wide in confusion and she stammered, "Why wouldn't I be?" Logan walked further into the room and stared at Kitty like she had grown three heads.

"It's been over an hour since you came up here to change." Logan informed her. "We figured you fell asleep or something. Have you just been sitting here the whole time?" He set down the crown's box and the sword on her dresser.

She blinked several times, shaking her head slightly as she tried to figure where the time had gone. "But this is a dream."

Logan's eyebrows furrowed as he sat on the bed next to her. He cautiously raised a hand up to her forehead as if to see if she had a fever. "This isn't a dream, Kitty."

"Oh," Kitty looked bewildered as she looked all around her room, as if not recognizing where she was. "Am I in the Tower?"

He looked at her in alarm. "I think maybe you should lay down." Logan suggested, pulling at the covers on her bed.

Kitty just blinked at him and said, "But I've got to call Deadpool."

"I'll call him, you need to sleep." He held up the covers while Kitty crawled under them, curling up on her side.

"Are you staying here tonight?"

He nodded. "We're going to take shifts, just to be safe. Stark is checking all of the computer systems. Said you thought there's a bug somewhere. We're sweeping the rooms, too."

"I'll take a shift." She offered, sitting up. Logan pressed her shoulder gently until she was laying back down.

"Maybe after you sleep." He rose from her bed and walked to the door before turning slightly. "Goodnight, Kitty."

"Night, Logan." Kitty mumbled into her pillow as unconsciousness washed over her.


	6. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

**The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly**

"She was just sitting on her bed, talking to herself." Logan told Steve and Tony as they sat at the dining room table. Steve had made Tony eat and take a break from checking the computer programing. "Kept muttering about everything being a dream." Logan rubbed his forehead. "What the hell does that even mean?"

Tony shared a look with his partner. "Well, a guy gave her a crown and a sword. That does kinda sound unbelievable," He pointed out before taking a bite of a sandwich. "And she's never quite figured out why people show interest in her, so LeRoux's obsession probably confuses the hell out of her."

"She doesn't know why people like her?" Logan asked, sitting down across from Steve and Tony. "Who doesn't like her?"

"I think it's her family." Steve suggested, his eyes flashing like they do whenever someone talks of her past. "Her biological family," He clarified. "She barely talks about them because they kicked her out of the house at thirteen, after years of abuse. That's got to play a big part in it."

Logan had never heard what little stories she told about her birth family, so this news was shocking. "She was abused?" He felt a surge of anger at the people he had never even met.

"She was in Special Forces with Deadpool as a teenager. The girl made a fake birth certificate saying she was eighteen." Tony smiled softly, moderately proud of her. "Got the hell outta Dodge and I don't think she's ever been back."

Logan glanced at the elevators, as if he could see her room from there. "I didn't know."

"Well, like I said, she doesn't really talk about it. Sometimes, we get small bits and pieces, mostly if she's really drunk." Steve looked down at the table. "The worst part is that she doesn't even realize how bad she had it."

"What does _that_ mean?" Logan asked.

"She thinks things are normal when they aren't." Tony explained. "Like when she first came to the Avengers and I told her that she gets the sixth floor. She asked if it was a joke and if she was supposed to take the couch. And at dinner that night, we had to tell her that she can eat at the table with us. She was literally sitting in a corner with her plate in her lap."

Logan's eyebrows drew together and he looked at Steve, who nodded in confirmation.

"And if someone is yelling near her," Steve continued. "There's a split second where she looks absolutely terrified. The first time I yelled near her, she moved back like I was going to hit her. She _expected_ me to hit her because I was yelling and frustrated."

"She disappeared for about a week after that." Tony said sadly. "Found her passed out on the floor of the med bay, covered in blood with three broken fingers and a bullet in her chest. She still won't tell us where she went or what happened."

"And it doesn't matter who's yelling," Steve added. "But if its a man, it's worse on her."

"Took her a year to believe that this wasn't an elaborate scheme to kill her in her sleep."

Steve looked down with shame as he said, "The only reason why we know today is her birthday is because we hunted down her original birth certificate."

The atmosphere turned tense. "I'm going to go call Deadpool. I told her I would." Logan said suddenly, unable to handle the silence. He crossed the room and picked up her phone that she had thrown. He stepped out into the hall to make the call.

"Hola mi pequeña Louisiana." Deadpool greeted. A shuffling sound was accompanied by static. "¿Te importa algún asesinato esta noche?"

"It's me, Deadpool." Logan announced.

"Why are you calling from her phone? Is she okay?" Deadpool asked worriedly.

"Yeah, but we need you to come in. We're putting the Tower on lockdown."

"This is about that Ashley thing, isn't it?" Deadpool guessed. Logan could hear a quiet voice in the background ask who Ashley was. "I'll be right in. Is everyone else there?"

"Yeah, we're taking shifts. Kitty's asleep right now. All we've got left to call is Parker."

"Oh, he's over here at my place."

"Why?" Logan asked, moderately curious. He heard silence, then hushed whispers that he couldn't make out.

"We'll both be there in a bit." Deadpool confirmed before abruptly hanging up. Logan looked down at Kitty's phone, shaking his head. He walked back to the kitchen and started rummaging through the pantry for a drink.

He found a bottle of bourbon with a note on it that said, "Poisonous Substance, Do Not Ingest". She had even drawn a biohazard sign on it. Logan scoffed, pulling off the note and pouring some into a glass.

"That's Kitty's." Clint Barton pointed out as he opened up the fridge.

Logan held up the note and said, "I noticed," before taking a long swig.

Clint rolled his eyes and shook his head as he took out a soda and shut the fridge. Leaning on the wall, he popped the tab and drank some. "You can't die, can you?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "I just heal from everything."

Clint nodded and took another sip, considering this information. "So if she shoots you in the head, you'll just heal back?"

Logan blinked several times, then shrugged. "Well, yeah."

"Good," Clint concurred. "That'll come in handy when she sees an empty bottle." He left the kitchen, soda in hand, and Logan looked down at the amber colored liquid. He finished the rest of the glass before putting the bottle of bourbon safely back in the cupboard with it's note.

Logan heard a commotion and left the kitchen to investigate. Peter Parker, also known as Spiderman, and Deadpool were in the front room, the latter being extremely loud. Deadpool was carrying a sleeping bag and holding a large bag of marshmallows.

"SLUMBER PARTY!" He yelled, plopping himself on one of the couches, causing Peter to roll his eyes.

"Can you do anything quietly?" Peter asked the red and black clothed man.

"Nah," He shook his head. "You especially should know that." Peter hit Deadpool on the shoulder, a smile on his face.

"Hey, Kitty's sleeping." Logan told them harshly, and both immediately looked down in shame.

"No, she's not." Kitty disagreed, walking into the room. She yawned and sauntered past everyone into the kitchen. "Hey! Who the hell drank my bourbon?" Kitty asked, holding up the bottle.

Clint immediately pointed his finger at Logan, who whispered, "Snitch."

"That was my expensive shit!" Kitty grabbed the nearest, nonfatal object (which happened to be an ink pen) and threw it at Logan, hard. It flipped through the air as if it was a knife and hit Logan square on the head.

"Ow." He complained, rubbing the spot that the pen hit. Deadpool erupted with laughter, and soon Peter, Tony, Steve, and Clint joined him.

"Don't touch my stuff." She warned, wagging her index finger at him. Kitty turned back around to pour herself a cup of coffee as the laughter died down. She strolled into the dining area and sat down in her chair next to Tony.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Tony asked, taking the mug of coffee away from her and ignoring her squeak of protest.

"How can I sleep when we're havin' a slumber party?" Kitty blinked her eyes innocently as she tried to grab her mug from Tony.

"It's not a slumber party," Steve explained with a pointed look at Deadpool. "And you need to sleep."

She tried to stifle a yawn. "I'm not even tired." Kitty rose from her chair and snatched her coffee mug back, taking a sip as she walked back to the lift. A few minutes later, she screamed, "GUYS!" Logan and Deadpool were the first ones up, nearly running into Kitty, who was zipping up the corset over her suit, in the hallway. "Turn on the T.V. NOW!" She yelled when they just stood there.

_"-here just two blocks away from Times Square," A dark haired woman on the T.V. reported. "And in case you haven't been following the story, there is a terrorist threat right here in New York. The "Ice Arsonist", as he has been called by police, has threatened to blow up Times Square, unless he is given ten million dollars by midnight tonight."_

"I thought you guys took care of that douche." Deadpool asked as he opened up his bag of marshmallows and popped one in his mouth.

"We did." Tony confirmed, watching the T.V. closely. Kitty sat down next to him and started reloading her gun.

"_The Ice Arsonist has been linked to twelve CO2 bombings and fires in the New York City, and was apprehended last July. Apparently, the Ice Arsonist escaped from a maximum security prison five months ago. They believe he was aided by bribing several guards, who are now suspended without pay, but they claim that they have no idea how he escaped._

_The Ice Arsonist says he will detonate the bomb if there is any change in foot or vehicle traffic at Times Square-"_

"And they didn't think we needed to know this?" Kitty scowled as she ran her hand through her hair. "Well, we've got three hours till the deadline. Let's go get us a fuckin' bad guy!"

"Language." Steve reminded her.

Kitty sighed, rolling her eyes downwards. "Let's go get us a freakin' bad guy." She repeated in a monotone voice.

"And the answer is no," Steve held up his hands. "You need to sleep, Kitty. We'll handle this."

She looked up, her eyes burning with anger. "Like hell you guys are gonna go without me." Kitty argued as she clipped on her leg holster before crossing her arms over her chest. "We're on lockdown, remember? It's either all of us, or none of us."

Deadpool shook his head. "Just give up, man." He advised Steve, who sighed loudly. "The Bride," He nodded to Kitty. "She'll win the fight eventually."

"The Bride?" Steve was obviously very confused. He quickly turned to look at Tony and asked, "Kitty's getting married?"

Deadpool started laughing at the absurdity of his question. "Yep. Weddings in Texas with a guy named Bill." He could barely contain himself as he choked out, "I suggest getting there after the rehearsal, though."

"Bill?" Steve looked down at Kitty and crossed his arms over his chest, not noticing the smiles around the room. "You're getting married to a man named Bill that I've never met before?" He glanced up at Tony, who was laughing, and demanded, "Did you know about this?"

"Uh, no. Definitely not getting married. It's just a movie reference and technically, she wasn't getting married to Bill, but that record store dude." Kitty turned to Tony and said, "Add both volumes of Kill Bill to the list."

"Really?" Tony asked, his eyebrows raised. "He couldn't get through Deadpool's movie and you think he could watch a Quentin Tarantino?"

"Oh, yeah," Kitty shrugged in agreement. "I guess Kill Bill is probably not the best for him."

"So, you're not getting married?" Steve clarified, still looking at Kitty.

"No." Kitty smirked and shook her head. "Sorry, mom, but the likelihood of you two," She nodded to Tony. "Walking me down an aisle is slim to none."

"Why not?" Steve asked, slightly indignant.

Clint laughed loudly. "Could you imagine the person who could put up with her?" He waved his hand in Kitty's direction. "I mean, the last one had to leave the country."

"Hey!" Kitty complained, obviously upset at his comment. Her blue eyes were glossy as the words cut through her and she could hear Bruce Banner's parting words to her. Logan turned his head and glared at Clint, who looked abashed and uncomfortable at her reaction.

"I'll go get Nat." Clint Barton volunteered quickly. Everyone went off to get suited up and Peter dragged Deadpool out to the hallway, leaving Kitty and Logan in the room.

Kitty sat at the table, so focused on picking at her nails that she didn't notice when Logan sat down next to her.

"What's wrong?" Logan set his feet on the kitchen table, balancing the chair on the back legs.

"Just because Bruce was my most serious relationship, and it ended badly, doesn't mean I can't have one." Kitty shot, still hurt at Clint's words. "And not all of the people I've dated left me like that."

"I believe you." Logan assured her.

"I broke up with some of them." She said swiftly. "I broke up with Nikolai because he had a problem with Mutants." Logan opened his mouth to speak, but Kitty cut him off. "And yes, Andy was cheating on me, but I broke up with her! And just because I don't wanna get married doesn't mean I wouldn't like a serious relationship. I just find the practice of married outdated and-"

"Kitty." Logan said softly, stopping her rant. "It was just a stupid comment. No one thinks that and it was shitty for him to bring up Banner like that."

"He left the continent." Kitty looked down and her eyes welled up with tears again. "Am I really that horrible, Logan?"

"No." Logan shook his head. "You're not horrible. It actually makes Banner an asshole, not you."

Kitty tried to smile. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better, but her chest felt tight. Kitty turned to look at him, a sickening thought creeping into her mind. "What if this bomb threat is a diversion somehow? Or a trap?"

Logan set the chair down and stood up, digging in his pants pocket. Finally, he withdrew the small knife she had taken out of her top before the business meeting and handed it to her. "Then you'll need this."


	7. Rouge One

**Rogue One**

The police had set up a perimeter two blocks from Times Square, and the police chief was not happy to see the Avengers.

"Hey," The robust man held up his hands in an attempt to stop them. "Hey, we doan't need yuh guy's help." The Violent Vixen, Wolverine, and Deadpool just breezed by him and the chief's face turned purple. "Jus what do yuh tink you're doin', lady?"

The Violent Vixen turned around and bat her eyes at the man before answering, "My job."

The man tried to get in front of the group, but his short, stubby legs weren't very fast. "Look, lady, I need yuh tuh stop or I'll arrestcha fawh obstrucshun of justice." He threatened, putting his hand on the Kitty's shoulder. Logan turned around and growled as his claws slid out of his knuckles. He glared at the man until the officer backed off and removed his hand.

"Logan." Kitty said softly as she put her hand on his upper arm. His head jerked to look at her and she nodded down to his claws, which he begrudgingly retracted.

"We'll take it from here." Captain America told the man, who was still watching Wolverine with obvious fear. "Kitty, take Deadpool and Logan and go see if you can find the bomb. _Find_, not touch." He stressed.

"Are you sure-"

Steve cut Tony off by saying, "They can't die and she has the most training for explosives."

Tony pressed his lips together, but remained silent on the matter.

"Tony, Clints, Natasha, Peter, and I will cover the perimeter looking for the Ice Arsonist." Steve continued. "He always stays close by to watch his work."

Kitty Vics nodded and the group split into two.

"If I were an incendiary device," The Violent Vixen started. "Where would I be?" Her eyes fell on the Time Square High Rise, a forty-seven story building overshadowing West 41st Street. "Bingo." She nodded at the building in front of them.

"Fuck," Deadpool cursed. "Why can't they ever want to blow up strip joints?"

"We're never that lucky." Kitty pointed out as they set off for the Times Square High Rise.

Deadpool caught sight of a group of puppies in an alley and instantly deterred from the path. "Ooh, look at the doggies!" He bounced over to the dogs, obviously very excited. Kitty and Logan reluctantly followed the mercenary to find him sitting on the road, two puppies crawling all over his lap. He looked up and whispered, "Can I have a puppy?"

One of the tiny dogs ran over to Logan and started pawing at his leg, demanding to be loved. Kitty bent down and pet the small, gold puppy before saying, "You can't have a dog, Deadpool."

"Why not?" He whined, hugging one closer to him.

"Because you'd never be home to take care of it." She stopped petting the dog, who promptly tried to get Logan's attention again. "And that wouldn't be fair to the dog."

"What if Petey watched it when I was gone?'

"I said no, Wilson." Kitty scolded Deadpool, who started pouting. The happy yipping of a puppy drew Kitty's attention away from the mercenary. She turned and saw Logan holding the puppy that wouldn't leave him alone. "Oh, not you too!" Logan looked up at her like he had been caught stealing a cookie before dinner and Kitty couldn't help but sigh. "Terrorist. Bomb. Ice Arsonist. Any of this ringing a bell?" She asked them as she scratched Logan's puppy behind its ear.

"Fine." Deadpool pouted, giving the fluffy puppy a kiss before he stood up.

Logan set down his puppy and started to walk away when they noticed it following him. "Sit." The puppy cocked its head to the side and sat down. "Stay."

The puppy watched sadly as they walked off without him.

"What are we looking for?" Logan asked Kitty, the only one in the group who had had first hand experience with the Ice Arsonist.

"The Ice Arsonist likes to make his bombs in suitcases or backpacks, surrounded by dry ice, usually in warm environments. That way, when it detonates, the dry ice turns into a gas and…" She made an exploding motion with her hands. "We think he uses remote triggers on them so he can watch from afar but not be injured."

"Okay," Logan nodded. "This building has forty-seven stories and there's only three of us." He pointed out, looking up at the enormous building in front of them.

"My plot senses are tingling." Deadpool stated as they opened up the door. It was very bright and open in the building with office plants and small trees. A desk sat in the middle of the foyer with a blonde woman typing furiously on the computer.

"Hello, can I help you?" The receptionist asked in a bored voice, not even glancing up from her laptop. She had a Donald Trump bobblehead next to a small orchid, and Deadpool couldn't stop himself from tapping it multiple times on the head. The woman huffed and looked up angrily. "Please don't touch that."

"Hi," Kitty beamed, trying to appear friendly while wearing a black catsuit and a gun holster. "We're just visiting and we'd like to have a little tour of the building." Logan smiled, trying to look like an unknowing tourist.

The woman sighed, looking down at her freshly manicured nails. "We only give tours on the first of every month and they're by appointment only. Besides, we definitely don't do tours this late at night." The Violent Vixen glanced up at Logan, then over to Deadpool.

"Ohh…" The Vixen trilled. She pulled out her gun and pointed it at the young woman. "Would you consider an exception?" The woman screamed and Kitty fought very hard to not roll her eyes. "If you've got a panic button, I'd suggest you press it." The receptionist frantically searched her desk before slamming her hand down on a small knob on the underside of the desk, causing a high pitched alarm to ring through the building.

"Please, don't hurt me! I'm getting married next month and we've already put down the deposit-" The young woman stuttered, raising her hands up in the air.

"I honestly have absolutely no desire to hurt you. We just needed the building evacuated." Kitty smiled and winked, terrifying the woman further. Several business men and woman ran out the front entrance, paying no attention to the gun she was pointing at the receptionist. "Now, does the building have a basement or storage closet?"

"No," The woman shook her head, the amount of hairspray kept her short, bleached hair from moving. "I mean, there's a boiler room that we use for storage, but it's on this floor."

"Where is it?"

The woman pointed them in the direction of a large room in the very back of the building that held the heating equipment. When Deadpool opened the door, the heat hit them immediately and a trickle of sweat ran down the Violent Vixen's forehead. They pressed their backs up against the wall next to the door.

"Fuck, it's hotter than Blake Lively in that shark movie. You guys see that one?" Deadpool asked, drawing out of his guns and holding it down by his side.

The Vixen snuck a glance into the boiler room. "She's pretty, but you know blondes aren't really my thing. Salma Hayek, though, I wouldn't find being…Oh, damn, what's the word..." She struggled, trying to think. "Amigovio with her."

"Amigovio?" Logan raised his eyebrows.

"Like a...Friends with benefits thing." Deadpool explained the best he could. "There's no actual translation."

"Anyways, not important. No more distractions. Let's go."

Wolverine's claws slid out of his knuckles and he looked to the Violent Vixen. She nodded, letting him take lead. Deadpool followed right behind her, gun ready to fire.

The heat was almost unbearable in the dim room as Kitty checked behind a large piece of machinery. "Clear."

Logan took the right side, searching for the bomb, but it was Deadpool who found the briefcase hiding behind an air duct.

The group crowded around it and the Violent Vixen's heart skipped a beat. She pressed the mic on her wrist. "Tony, we found the bomb. It's in the boiler room of the Times Square High Rise."

"I take it you're the mad woman with the gun?" Tony's voice rang through Kitty's earpiece and she couldn't help but smile.

"Who else could it be?" She asked, her eyes focused on the bomb. The open, brown suitcase that housed the bomb looked oddly familiar. Kitty shook off the feeling of nostalgia and concentrated on studying the bomb itself. "I'm going to try to disarm it."

"Don't you dare." Tony threatened. "Bomb Squad will be there in five minutes, make sure the building is evacuated then you guys get the hell out of there."

"Sorry, dad. Timer says we've got two minutes, forty-three seconds and counting." She tried to smile and joke, despite their grim situation. "Plus, I actually passed that part of training."

"I didn't." Deadpool informed them loudly and Logan just shook his head.

"That doesn't surprise me." Logan said.

Meanwhile, Tony felt frustration clawing at him. "Kitty, no."

"Kitty, yes." She argued firmly.

"Kitty Stark, you listen to me." Tony growled. "If you stay to disarm that bomb, you will die. And if the bomb doesn't kill you, I sure as hell will."

"Well, then you better say somethin' real pretty at my funeral, Tony Stark, because I'm not goin' anywhere."

Logan watched as the Vixen got down on her knees in front of the suitcase. He could hear the faint sounds of Tony's objections coming from her earpiece before she ripped it out of her ear and clipped it to the top of her corset.

"Looks like it's surrounded by dry ice, like usual." The Violent Vixen carefully examined the wires in the briefcase. She looked up at the two men. "No chance you guys have any extra gloves? Dry ice'll give a nasty chemical burn if touched by bare skin." Both shook her heads and Kitty cursed. "I need to start wearing gloves." She took out the small knife that she tried to sneak into her meeting with Ashley and pressed the button on the side.

"Is that a switchblade? Alright, Vics!" Deadpool high-fived the Violent Vixen, who couldn't help but laugh at his excitement over her illegal weapon. "Hey, who's Keanu Reeves and who's Jeff Daniels?"

Kitty chuckled. "You are _sooo_ Jeff Daniels."

"But I wanna be Keanu Reeves!

"Logan, who's Keanu Reeves from 'Speed', me or Sarge?"

Logan looked Deadpool in the eyes and said, "Kitty's Keanu."

"Told ya so." Kitty returned her focus on the bomb. "Let's see...three wires...each color coded…"

"Isn't it normally two in the movies?" Deadpool asked. The Violent Vixen and Wolverine stared at him. "Ya know, the red wire and the blue wire?"

"This one's got a red and blue, with a purple in the back." She informed them as the timer clicked quietly to two minutes, thirty-one seconds. "Any ideas?"

"Maybe we should listen to Stark," Logan suggested. "Wait for bomb squad."

"We don't exactly have that time," The Kitty reminded them as she looked him in the eyes. "But you two can go if you want, I completely understand."

"No fucking way, Vics." Deadpool said certainly. Logan stayed rooted to the spot and the Vixen turned her attention back to the bomb.

"That's about what I thought. Fuck, I wish this was a mercury switch. Those, I understand. I don't understand this three wire bullshit. Now, red, purple, or blue?" She muttered to herself.

"_Dun dun dun da dada, de da doo de da doo de da doo do_…"

"Is that the 'Mission Impossible' theme song?" Kitty asked Deadpool, who was still humming.

"What? I thought it was fitting."

Kitty rolled her eyes and set to the task at hand. "Whoever wrote this chapter should die." The red and blue wires looped around before hooking firmly into the device. The purple wire wove around it, but Kitty couldn't tell where or what it was latched to. "Fuck it." She grabbed the purple wire and cut through it, closing her eyes tightly as she did so. After a moment of silence, she opened them to see the clock still steadily counting down. "Dammit." The Violent Vixen cursed.

"Now, now, you didn't _really_ think it'd be that easy, did you?" A voice rang from the door. The man wore a deep blue suit with black armor covering most of his body. His face was fully covered by dark fabric, but it didn't take much to figure who it was. The Ice Arsonist had joined the party.

Deadpool immediately tried to shoot the man, but the Arsonist vanished and rematerialized behind him. He hit Deadpool in the back of the head before dodging an attack by Logan. He disappeared again and Kitty pressed her back to Logan's, looking in every direction for the Arsonist.

"Where the fuck is he?" She demanded, holding her gun by her side. They heard laughter in the hallway outside the boiler room and exchanged glances.

"I'll stay, try to disarm the bomb." The Violent Vixen started to protest, but Deadpool cut her off. "I'll survive it, Louisiana. You won't." Deadpool told the Vixen, who reluctantly nodded.

"Ten cuidado, hombre guapo," She told her friend before turning to Logan. "Let's go."

They ran out of the boiler room to the now empty atrium. The Ice Arsonist was leaning up against the wall, appearing very nonchalant with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Finally," He gushed. "I'm glad you could join me." The Violent Vixen tried to push back a feeling of familiarity with his voice to focus on the mission. She pointed her gun at him, but the bullet just barely grazed him as he dematerialized. He showed up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder and punching her face when she turned. She recovered quickly, swiftly elbowing him in the throat before kicking him in the stomach. Logan tried to claw the Arsonist, but they just slashed through the empty air as he disappeared yet again.

"Over here!" He taunted in front of the main doors. Kitty ran towards him, shooting in that direction. The bullets hit the wall and she stood by the door, looking around madly for the villain. She couldn't see Logan either, and the idea of her being alone sent chills down her spine.

"It's showtime, my dahlia," The Ice Arsonist told the Vixen as the blue figure appeared in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock, but before she had time to react, Ashley LeRoux kicked her in the chest. Then, she heard the explosion.

* * *

The bomb ticked steadily and Deadpool was sweating inside his suit as he kneeled down and stared at the bomb.

"**Holy shit,**" White cursed in Deadpool's head. "**We should've paid more attention in that class**."

Deadpool mentally agreed with White as his hand slipped and his gloves touched the dry ice.

"**Maybe we should do what Logan said**," Yellow suggested. "**Check the building for citizens, get the fuck outta here.**"

"Yeah," Deadpool nodded, standing up. "We'll do that." He ran out of the room and up the nearest staircase.

"Hey! Anyone here?!" He yelled, waiting to hear if anyone responded from that level. When no one answered, he continued back up the stairs. On the fourteenth floor, someone actually answered.

"Who are you?" The young man asked, a large pile of paperwork in his hands. The man was in a nice, tailored suit with a pair of glasses perched on his sharp nose. "You're not supposed to be on this level!"

"Why are you here? Didn't you hear the goddamn alarm go off?" Deadpool asked the man. "There's a fucking bomb in the building!"

The man's face blanched and he looked ill. "I, I thought," He said fearfully. "It was just, just one of those tests. I didn't think, I mean, didn't know it was actually serious."

"It's fucking serious!" Deadpool screamed. "Any minute now, the bomb is going to explode-"

And then,

there was nothing.


	8. Diamonds Are Forever

**Diamonds Are Forever **

Kitty's eyes flew open, but she couldn't quite figure out where she was or how she got there. She couldn't tell how long she sat there with her fuzzy mind before she decided to walk herself through the facts. It was something that Deadpool taught her while in Special Forces for when things just didn't seem right and at that moment, everything was most assuredly not right.

_Let's start off easy. My name is A-Ah no. Kitty. My name is Kitty. Kitty Stark-Wait, no, fuck. That ain't right. I'm...Uh, Kitty...Vixen Stark...Kitty...Stark-Oh, fuck. Eh, close enough. She told herself. I'm a mercenary. No-no that's wrong. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to correct herself. I'm an… Avenger. She felt a smile across her face. I'm an Avenger and the Times Square High Rise just exploded._

_(Narrator: "Now, for the harder stuff.") _

Her ears were ringing and her vision blurred. She looked around and tried to recognize her surroundings, but all she could tell for certain was that it was still dark. Even when her eyes were open, all Kitty saw was darkness. She blinked several times, trying to clear the ash that seemed to be burning into her eyes. Eventually, her vision cleared.

(Narrator: "Paso dos completo.")

She could feel that she was laying partially under a bed of rubble and there was a thick sheet of smoke covering the entire area. The heavy smoke filled her lungs, searing them like a fire from the inside. It felt like her lungs were rattling, but she couldn't hear the weezing. Ashes fell like snow around her, so much softer than the rubble biting into her skin.

Kitty figured it must have been only a few minutes before sun up as she watched color splash across the sky through the small gaps in the smoke. She groaned; Just what she needed was a headache from the sun. Kitty slowly began to remove the sections of stone and road off her body so she could move. After attempting to get up, Kitty found herself incredibly exhausted and frustrated at being unable to perform the simple task. She glanced down and saw that a street sign was pinning down her legs. Kitty held her breath and pushed it off, then laid back down, gasping. All of Kitty's strength was gone and even breathing seemed to be too much work.

Kitty's tired eyes wandered until they rested on an odd, gold shape bouncing near her. It took her a minute to realise that it was the puppy that tried following Logan before they went into the Times Square High Rise. It licked Kitty's cheek before laying down next to her, nuzzling its head under her hand.

"Go. Go find him." Kitty croaked as she started to cough violently. When the fit passed, she patted the dog on its head the best she could. "Go get Logan." The puppy whined and Kitty pled, "Please, you've got to find him. He'll help me...He can help." The puppy got up and licked her face again before running off.

She was aware of a deep, throbbing pain in her left leg and a burn in her lungs as she sat there, gasping for air. A scorching sensation licked its way up her back and shoulders. This temporarily distracted her. Kitty lay there for a few minutes, trying to assess how bad her injuries were. A stream of hot liquid flowed over her eye and she moved her hand to wipe it. Dazed, she noticed that it was blood coming from a deep gash on her scalp. Kitty's head felt too heavy for her body and the entire idea of getting up seemed incredibly impossible. She stopped her efforts to remove more of the rubble crushing her body and just stayed there.

_Maybe I'll just lay here forever, _she mused. Her eyes slid closed and she concentrated on breathing in and out, but her breaths were ragged and she started coughing. _I hope Tony will be okay without me, _Kitty thought. _He'll never forgive me. _Tears pricked at Kitty's eyes and she coughed again. _He'll never forgive himself._

A small part of her brain screamed about Ashley LeRoux being the mastermind behind this. It was also thinking of ways to kill him, but Kitty told herself that in order to do that, she would have to get up.

The ringing sound in her ears grew and she pressed one of her hands to her head, trying to dull the excruciating pain. Kitty cried out, but that only made the pain worse. Eventually, the ringing eased and her thoughts became coherent again. Kitty raised her hand to her ear and started snapping her fingers, trying to test her hearing. She could barely hear it, but could tell there were vibrations. She wondered if this was how Clint Barton felt without his hearing aids. Kitty made a mental note to ask him if she ever found the strength to get up.

Concentrating very hard, she could make out a faint buzzing noise and eventually she realized that her earpiece was still hooked to her corset. Kitty considered ignoring it, but then she thought of Tony and Steve. Her brain produced pictures of the two of them standing above the coffin, both in suits and supporting red rimmed eyes. A soldier handed Tony a folded flag and saluted him before joining the ranks.

She felt a surge of adrenaline course through her as she reached for the earpiece clipped securely on her corset. Kitty raised it to her ear but quickly pulled it away when the sound sent shocks of pain through her ears. She ignored it long enough to try to sort through the static sound coming through the ear set. Finally, Kitty gathered the energy to sit up and press the button on her arm piece.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" She gasped. Kitty still couldn't hear herself well enough to know she was screaming into her arm mic. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

"_Kitty? Kit, is that you?!_" It sounded like Tony was whispering but she finally figured out the gist of what he was saying through the static. "_Are you okay? Please, please tell me you're okay._"

"Tony, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, dad, I fucked up." Kitty cried hysterically, her breathing ragged. "We shouldn't have stayed, it was a trap. It was gonna explode anyway, and Ashley, he-"

"_It's okay. There's nothing to be sorry about, Kit. Calm down, breathe, and try to concentrate. I need to know if you're okay._" Tony said slowly. "_Are you hurt?_"

Kitty was still crying as she said, "I'm sorry! Please don't hate me, I love you guys so much-"

"_It's alright, Kit, calm down. We don't hate you_," Tony assured her. "_We still love you, but I need you to calm down and concentrate. Logan and Steve are trying to find you, but there's a lot of debris. Kitty, listen: Where are you_?" He asked, and Kitty found herself wondering the same thing.

She looked around, trying to recognize her surroundings, but honestly, everything just looked grey. She saw why her leg was bothering her so much, though. A large piece of jagged metal had embedded itself deep into her calf, with blood oozing steadily around it. Kitty fought off the desire to remove the metal shard, knowing that if she did, she would lose too much blood. Then she really wouldn't be able to kick Ashley's ass.

She finally remembered her reason for sitting up and tried to concentrate. Kitty pressed her ash covered finger on the arm cuff again and calmly spoke into it. "Hey, dad? I think I've been blown up." Was all she could manage before falling back into the rubble.

Kitty Vics was drowning in a dark sea of unconsciousness. Her lungs burned with every breath and there were many times when she wondered why she was still taking such painful measures. It all seemed pointless. Breathing was supposed to soothe the burn, but for some reason, it was the cause. Excruciating pain radiated from her leg; Even her slit throat hadn't hurt this much. Kitty could hear the Beatles song "Let It Be" and it suddenly dawned on her...She was dying. She reasoned that this was it. This is how she would die. She couldn't help but be disappointed that her death would be from a bomb made by a man wearing blue tights.

_Well_, Kitty thought. _Just barely made it to twenty-five. Wasn't expecting that. Five years longer than I'd figured. That's not too bad. _She felt more tears roll down her face and she closed her eyes. Her face softened and appeared serene as she lay there. _The movies got it wrong. I'm not cold. I'm actually quite warm, like when I've downed a bottle of tequila. I'll miss tequila._ She felt her chest sink and it was hard to think. _And warmish...Warmish like Tony and Wilson and Steve and Logan and Bucky...and Bucky and…_And she took her last breath.

"_Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, let it be…Whisper words of wisdom, let it be."_

There was what felt like a huge rock being dropped on her chest and her fuzzy mind tried to tell her that something else was wrong. Surely this much pain couldn't just be coming from her leg. The crushing sensation happened again; Sharp jabs to her chest that seemed to be intent on crushing her into dust. Kitty couldn't help but wonder if someone was stabbing her in the chest, over and over and over and over again. Isn't being blown up enough? She silently asked the person. Just let me go in peace, you sadistic bastard.

"_And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be...Whisper words of wisdom, let it be...And when the night is clouding, there is still a light that shines on me. Shines until tomorrow, let it be…_"

Kitty heard what sounded like a dog barking off in the distance followed by some shouting. There were whispers everywhere but trying to make out their words was impossible. Still, she found the buzzing comforting; Familiar. Kitty felt herself drifting off, getting lost in the sounds. Her mind had almost wandered into the black when the crushing sensation happened again. The pain in her leg seemed to dull slightly and the sounds became clearer. Kitty figured out that she really liked listening to the voice calling her name...

"KITTY!" She felt someone beating on her chest and she silently begged the person to just let her sleep. "KITTY! COME ON, WAKE UP!" There was more steady thumping, then she felt someone touching her lips. Kitty felt confused and frustrated on why someone would be kissing her at a time like this.

_Who the fuck wants to kiss a corpse?_

"WAKE UP, GODDAMMIT!"

_Thump thump thump thump_

Another kiss. What a pervert.

_Thump thump thump_

After realising that she would not be allowed to sleep, Kitty reluctantly opened her eyes for the insistent voice and found that she was looking up at Logan. His face blurred in and out, but it was definitely him. His mouth turned up into a dazzling smile then started to move. Kitty could tell that Logan was speaking to her, but it sounded like they were underwater.

"What?" She asked, confused as she got a good look at him. Logan was covered in soot and his hair was messed up, much to Kitty's delight. She raised her hand and weakly touched his hair, a dopey smile crossing her face. Her hand slid down to cup Logan's cheek and she softly ran her thumb over his cheekbone. It's not a bad sight to see before you die, Kitty thought.

He had dried blood on him, but Kitty couldn't figure out where it came from. Logan covered her hand with his, and she idly noticed that both of his hands were also covered in blood, but this was fresh and bright red. It didn't even occur to Kitty that it was her blood coating his body. "You...You're bloody… It's, just, it's everywhere…" She sputtered, trying to wipe the red off of his face. "You're hurt? You, you're not supposed to get hurt, Logan, why...I don't understand-"

"I'm fine, Kitty. I'm fine." Logan grabbed her hand to get her to stop frantically trying to clean off his face. "This isn't my blood, I'm fine. Kitty, calm down." He assured her before asking, "Can you move?"

"Why would I want to?" She hoarsely muttered, dropping her hand to her side and making no effort to sit up. "I think I'll stay right here, thank you very much. Didja know you've got such beautiful eyes? And a beautiful voice? Beautiful Logan..." Kitty cooed before she started coughing, her chest jolting up as blood leaked out of her mouth.

"She's in shock." A voice to her right said, and she turned her head the best she could to look at the figure. It was Steve, still dressed in his Captain America suit, leaning over her. "We need to get her out of here."

"Anyone ever tell you that you kinda look like an angel?" Her question to Steve was slurred and her eyes slid shut again. "Who knew I'd be lucky enough to have angels watchin' over me as I die."

"No, no, no." Logan nagged, trying to help her sit up. "You're not dying. We just need to get you up so we can get you to the medics." He moved his arm and accidentally bumped the metal piece piercing Kitty's calf. Her eyes scrunched together as pain coursed through her leg and she screamed before losing consciousness. She could hear a voice calling to her and if it was someone else, she would have just stayed asleep. "Kitty, come on, wake up. I'm sorry. Please wake up." Logan pled as her eyes fluttered open again.

"We've got to move her, she's losing too much blood." Steve told Logan, who visibly winced when she started crying.

"Kitty, please stop crying," Logan ran his hand over her hair before wiping a tear off her cheek. "I need you to calm down. Try to stop crying, Kitty."

Kitty's mind reminded her that crying won't help anything. It would just dehydrate her further and make her throat more sore and her head worse. But she couldn't make the tears stop as pain radiated through every inch of her. "I'm so s-sorry, Looogan, it just huuurts."

"Should I pick her up?" Logan asked, trying to decide the best way to lift her.

"We can't risk jarring the metal piece again. She won't survive losing any more blood." Steve shook his head. "We'll see if she can limp with her arms around us, that way she can keep the leg from touching anything."

"Rogers, I don't think she can-"

"It'll keep her awake, Logan."

"She'll be in pain!"

"Which will keep her from-"

Kitty hadn't been paying attention to the conversation. Instead, she had been trying to find the words to describe how hurt and confused she was. "Logan," Kitty cried, trying to get her eyes to focus on him. "Logan," He finally stopped his spat with Steve to look down at her. "My head feels funny. It, it feels funny and wrong, I'm cold and I ain't okay."

"I know," Logan shrugged off his brown leather jacket and handed it to Steve. "I know, Kitty." He laced his arm around her waist and lifted her up on her good foot. He took his jacket from Steve and slid it on her small, shivering body. Logan then helped her wrap an arm around his neck and put the other around Steve's neck. "We're going to get you fixed up, okay?"

They lifted her to her feet and shower of glass fell from her bloody hair. Kitty wretched her arm out from Steve and felt the back of her head with her hand. She stared at her bloody hand, the confusion crashing over her like a wave as she tried to understand why her head felt raw. Kitty looked around, trying to figure out what else was wrong.

"Wilson." She whispered to herself. Her head felt like it was being ripping into two but she knew that someone was missing from the party. "WILSON!" Kitty tried to focus her eyes on Logan, but her vision still blurred. "WHERE'S WILSON, HE'S NOT HERE!"

"Shh, Kitty, you don't have to yell. Calm down," Steve tried to comfort her, but Kitty was crying and shaking. "We haven't found him yet, but we've got Peter and Clint looking for him, okay? Please, you've got to calm down." Steve answered as he helped her wrap one of her arms around his neck to help support her. Kitty gasped as more pain spread through her body and she saw dark spots floating around. "I need you to concentrate on walking, okay?"

Logan caught her after she took a step forward and stumbled, her eyes sliding shut again. Her skin was cold and pale and she was shivering as her breathing caught in her throat. "Hey, hey," Logan lightly tapped her cheek to wake her up as he held Kitty's limp body in his arms. "Kitty? Kitty, I need you to open your eyes. Just open your eyes for me." Her eyes slowly opened, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to keep them from closing. "There you go. No, no," Logan nagged. "Stay awake for me. Just stay awake so we can get you to some medics." He got her upright again and they took another step, but Kitty started coughing and her head felt woozy.

"Logan, it hurts." Kitty cried as she spit blood out of her mouth. "Everythin' hurts and I just, I wanna sleep."

"I know, I know," Logan nodded and contemplated picking her up. "But I can't let you sleep. The paramedics are just over there and they'll fix you up then you can sleep in the hospital."

"I'm cold." Kitty cried as she took a step forward, her eyes trained on Logan. "I just want to go home, Logan. This," She laughed softly. "This is the worst trip I've ever been on." Kitty sang. "That's such a good song. Hey," She looked up at Logan and smiled weakly. "You were alive back in '66."

"Yeah," Logan nodded, hoping that talking would distract her long enough to get to safety. "I remember when it came out. I was over in Vietnam."

"I'm dying and a goddamn Beach Boys song is goin' through my head." Kitty coughed and Logan pulled his jacket more securely around her. "How depressing."

"You'll be alright, Kitty," Steve tried to reassure her, but she was losing a lot of blood and he couldn't keep fear from seeping into his voice. She leaned on him and started coughing, covering her mouth with her hand as more blood flowed from her mouth.

She stumbled again and Logan said, "That's it, Rogers, I'm picking her up." He bent down and geared to scoop her up when:

"You can't pick her up without hitting the leg," Steve pointed out. Logan paused. "The faster we get her to the medics, the faster they can fix her."

"Okay," Logan nodded and he straightened back up. "Okay, let's go."

Kitty limped, most of her weight being supported by Logan and Steve, over the rubble and ruins of the Times Square High Rise. She tried to remember the events leading up to the explosion. One word kept floating through her mind, but it always seemed out of grasp. She knew the word, but every time she reached for it, it slipped away. She concentrated all her energy on the word, desperate to pluck it from her foggy mind. _One word_, she told herself. _One word, and I can solve this._

_dahlia dahlia dahlia dahlia dahlia_

"Dahlia." She finally said out loud, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What?" Steve asked, looking over her head at Logan for an explanation. Logan shook his head, just as confused as Steve.

"Ashley LeRoux is the Ice Arsonist." Kitty informed them, her lungs aching and her throat raw. She fell into a fit of coughing and the two men had to stop until she could move again.

"Are you sure it was LeRoux?" Logan asked her as they reached the edge of the damage caused by the explosion.

"Pretty sure."

There was a police blockade where Tony and Natasha stood, deep in conversation. Tony caught sight of the three of them limping out of the damage and ran over to them.

"Kit!" Tony wrapped his arms around her the best he could. "Don't you ever fucking do that again. Do you hear me?" He brushed some of her bloodied hair off her face and repeated softly, "Don't do that to me again."

"Sorry, dad." Kitty smiled slightly as she patted his head with her hand. "Mmmsosorry." Her voice drifted off and her body, still being held up by Logan and Steve, went limp.

"Hey!" Tony yelled to the medics across the way. "Can we get some help over here?"

"You got her?" Steve asked as he helped wrap Kitty's arm around Tony's shoulder.

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "Yeah. Go help Peter." He looked down at Kitty, whose eyes were still closed. Her chest movement was so shallow that Tony couldn't tell if she was breathing. "Kit?" He tapped her cheek and looked up at Logan with a worried face. "Kitty, open your eyes. The medics are coming, but you've got to open your eyes."

"You guys," Kitty gasped, her eyes opening to see Tony's terrified face. "Are so fuckin' unreasonable."

"There she is." Logan smiled proudly.

A team of paramedics ascended on them, helping Kitty into the back of an ambulance. She sat on the edge of the bus while a paramedic wiped some of the blood off her forehead with a damp gauze pad. An O2 mask was immediately strapped to her face, much to her displeasure.

"We're going to have to transport you as soon as possible." The medic explained as another one examined her leg. "It definitely penetrated the bone, and judging the amount of blood on both you and your friends, I'm going to guess you've lost at least two liters, but probably more." He looked over to Logan and Tony. "You said she's been coughing up blood?" Logan nodded as Kitty pulled his jacket tighter around her. "You might have pierced a lung. I don't even know how you're alive at all, honestly. The combination of everything is fatal."

Kitty removed the O2 mask and sighed loudly, as if this greatly burdened her. "Do I have to go to the hospital?"

"Yes." Tony drew out the word and nodded his head at Kitty slowly. "Transport her. Now." He told the main paramedic, who nodded before he set to work picking out the glass shards from her scalp with a pair of tweezers. Kitty rolled her eyes at Tony, who snapped the oxygen mask back on her. She caught sight of a red and black cloaked figure limping towards them.

"SARGE!" Kitty yelled, pulling off the oxygen mask. She tried to slide off the ambulance so she could see him, but Logan held her back. He attempted to put her O2 mask back on, but she just batted him away. "SARGE!" Kitty started coughing again, her body shaking violently with the action. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she continued the fit.

Logan pulled her back into the ambulance and kept her pressed to his body. He brushed aside a piece of hair stuck to her forehead and shuddered; Her skin was like ice. An EMT set a stethoscope to her back and tried to listen to her gasping.

"Miss, we're going to have to transport you right now." The EMT said, passing the stethoscope to the main paramedic to listen to. "Mary!" He called over his shoulder to the driver. "Mary, start the truck! We're going to have to take her right now! Make sure they've got an OR prepped and ready, she'll need immediate surgery."

"Pero tengo..que hablar con él." She waved her hand at them.

"Miss, you're drowning in your own blood. It's urgent that we transport you-"

Deadpool staggered over to the ambulance and sat down next to Kitty. His entire left arm was missing, as well as several fingers on his right hand and an ear. Most of his suit had torn into pieces, showing off his scarred and burned skin. He clutched at his stomach with what was left of his right hand, and it suspiciously looked like he was holding in his intestines.

"Hey, Louisiana." He said simply, laying his head against the edge of the ambulance.

"Man," Kitty wiped off some of the blood that dripped down over her eye. "You look like how I feel."

Deadpool laughed as he swatted his stump of an arm at a paramedic. "I'm fine." Deadpool shrugged off the chief medic, who looked very flustered and angry. "I'll heal everything back in like, a day."

"Sir! You're grievously injured and in shock. Please let me help you." The man pled. Deadpool yanked up one sleeve to show him that the cuts and abrasions were already stitching themselves together. Even the deeper ones were reconnecting the muscle and tissue at an alarming rate.

"Wish I could heal like that." Kitty poked at a tear in Logan's shirt from a piece of shrapnel. Her finger brushed against his smooth, healed skin and she felt him shiver.

"I wish you did, too." Logan looked down at her and sighed.

"I want to go home, dad." Kitty whispered to Tony, her head feeling too heavy again as she leaned on Logan. "No quiero morir...No me dejes morir, Logan." She closed her eyes, not even noticing when Logan scooped her up and set her down gently on the gurney. Tony rode with her to the hospital.


	9. I Swear This Time I Mean It

**I Swear This Time I Mean It**

The bed that Kitty woke up in was uncomfortable. It was hard and the bedding felt scratchy, which meant one thing: Hospital. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking at the harsh lighting that seemed to burn in her eyes. Her lungs still ached, and she felt a cannula feeding her oxygen through her nose. The ringing in her ears had quieted, but they felt numb and alien to her.

She saw Logan asleep in a chair in the corner and looked around to see if there was anyone awake. There were no clocks that Kitty could see, so she measured time by the amount of breaths she took. After ninety-three breaths, Kitty decided that waking up Logan would be her only chance to alleviate the boredom. She saw a pen laying innocently on a tray and had to stifle a laugh at the irony.

Kitty tried to lift her left arm, but it felt very heavy and unfamiliar. Cautiously, she wiggled her fingers one by one to make sure that she could. While she was at it, she checked her toes, too. One of her legs was wrapped up in something that looked like a cast, but there were metal bars surrounding both sides. Kitty decided to come back to that later.

Once she had completed that, she turned her attention back to the pen as she strained to stay quiet while lifting her arm. She grasped the pen in her left hand, pausing to rest before she threw it. Kitty knew it would take most of her strength to throw the pen across the room to accurately hit Logan, and felt if she was going to do it, she was going to do it right. After thirty-five breaths, she lifted her arm and threw the pen. It soared through the room and hit Logan square in the chest, successfully waking him up from his slumber.

She slumped back down a little, feeling her energy drain from that simple act.

"Nice throw." Tony Stark praised from the open door, two cups of coffee in his hands.

Kitty jumped a little, wondering how long Tony had been standing there and why she didn't notice. "I was aimin' for his head." She informed him sadly, making an effort to sit up. "Is that for me?" She nodded to the second cup in Tony's hands.

"I don't think coffee and morphine mix well." Logan commented as he ran his hand through his hair and stretched.

"Morphine?" She asked, looking back and forth at the two men. Logan nodded. Her eyes traveled to the clear IV bag hooked up to her arm and felt a wave of disgust. "Where's the doctor? I want off it." She tried her best to sound alert and insistent, but everything hurt and she just wanted to sleep; Without narcotic based medications.

"Kit," Tony pulled up the second chair to her bedside and sat in it. "You were in ICU for over a week before they could move you in here. That piece of shrapnel broke your bone into three pieces. They had to take it out and put in the rods to bring the pieces back together and stabilize it." He explained it all slowly, trying to gauge if she understood what he was saying.

Tony continued, "You've also had a couple blood transfusions. They tested me thinking I was your biological father, and it turns out we have the same blood type, so they took all you needed from me. LeRoux broke one of the bones in your wrist when he grabbed it, so that's been patched up." He nodded to the bandages on her arm. "Your lungs were almost black from the smoke and they had to drain a bunch of blood from them. There was the chunk missing from your arm straight to the bone and they think you sprained your other ankle while going through all the building damage. And judging by how you didn't notice when I came into the room until I spoke, I'm going to venture to say your hearing was affected. So you're going to be in here, wrapped up, for a bit."

"Don't forget the concussion." Logan added. He brought his chair closer to her bed and sat down, sipping his coffee. "They put sixteen stitches in that cut on your scalp once they got all the glass out. Your shoulder, side, and all down your back have second and third degree burns. And some of the ends of your hair got singed from the fire."

"Oh." Her left hand moved her to her hair and felt that it had been chopped off to her shoulder blades while the other side still flowed down past the middle of her back. Kitty blinked away a tear and tried to ignore the irrational upset from some of her hair being gone. "I still want off the hard meds." She said stubbornly.

Logan rolled his eyes as he got up from his chair. "Fine," He sighed. "I'll go get the doctor."

"I'll come with." Tony offered, getting up as well. He turned to Kitty. "At least try to sleep." She gave Tony a look that told him that she would try her best to stay awake. The two men left her room, only to stop at the front of her door.

"Who the hell wants off morphine?" Logan asked.

"I don't know," Tony admitted. "But she never wants anything narcotic based. Banner stopped giving her anything stronger because she'd just throw a fit. Steve thinks it's got something to do with her family. I think her father was a doctor, maybe a nurse."

"Would explain it. If her dad was addicted to narcotics and was abusive…" Logan trailed off, trying to stifle the anger rising in him. He walked up to the front desk and asked for the doctor.

Kitty had barely dozed off when Logan and Tony came back in with a beautiful woman in a white lab coat.

"Hello, Miss Kitty." The woman smiled, showing off all of her dazzling white teeth. "My name is Dr. Alice Cho, I'm your doctor." She stretched out her hand and, with some effort, Kitty shook it. "Motor function looks pretty good. Your father here told me that you've requested being taken off the morphine." The doctor flipped her extraordinarily long, dark hair over her shoulder and Kitty idly wondered how she could work with it down like that.

Kitty sighed, trying to think of how to argue her point without going into specifics. "Can't you just give me something that's not narcotic based? Please?"

"Could Kitty and I have a moment alone?" Dr. Cho requested, practically shoving Logan and Tony out of the room. "Is there something I need to know about you and morphine?" She asked softly, sitting down in Logan's chair.

"No." Kitty started picking out the dirt and ashes from under her fingernails. "I just don't want to be on it. I respond well on Toradol and Naproxen, though. I'd much rather be on one of those."

"Kitty," Dr. Cho tried to get her attention, but Kitty was stubbornly looking down. "You've got some pretty substantial injuries here. If I take you off the morphine and only give you something non-narcotic based, you're going to be in a great deal of pain." Kitty met the doctor's kind, brown eyes. "So, I ask again. Is there something you need to tell me about why you're refusing morphine?"

"There were...addiction problems in the family." Kitty admitted. "Not me. But one of my parents…" Her voice trailed off.

"That man out there?" The doctor asked, pointing a slender finger at the door.

"No," Kitty shook her head with a bit of a laugh. "No, Tony is…" Kitty sighed and decided to not go into the semantics on her pseudo family. "My adopted father. My biological father had an addiction..."

"Oh, okay," Dr. Cho nodded as she got up and opened the door to let Tony and Logan back in. "I'm going to keep you sedated for three days, then put you on IV Toradol," She picked up Kitty's chart and started writing a note in it. "BUT if you two notice her in any pain once she's awake, you need to tell the nurses and we'll put her back on something stronger." She turned to Kitty. "If you're in pain, please tell them. I have the feeling that you're difficult and will want to hide it, but I'm serious. It'll just make the healing harder on you."

Kitty nodded and watched the doctor leave. "I like her." A nurse came in to change the morphine out and Kitty noticed that both men were watching her carefully. "So, if I'm going to be in here a while, could you guys grab some of my stuff from the Tower?"

"What do you need?" Tony asked. "I've got to go take a shower and change anyway."

Kitty took a good look at Tony and realized how terrible he looked. He had dark circles around his eyes and his hair stood up in odd angles. His hands were shaking slightly while clutching his coffee cup and Kitty recognized the signs of someone who hasn't had a real meal in a while. "Tony, how much blood did you give?"

"I don't know," He shrugged. "However much they needed for the transfusions. They said they wanted all of it to be from one source so there's less chance of your body rejecting it, so they took it in a couple of phases."

"Okay, now when's the last time you ate anything that wasn't out of a vending machine?" She asked cautiously.

"You sound like Steve." He complained, rolling his eyes and ignoring the question.

"Go home, dad." Kitty said softly. "Shower, eat some real food, then sleep. I don't want to see you here for at least twelve hours."

"Technically, you won't see me anyways since they're going to knock you out." Tony rubbed his eyes, knowing that fighting with her was useless. Besides, a bed sounded glorious in comparison to the uncomfortable chair. "Fine." He turned to Logan. "Are you staying with her?"

Before he could answer, Kitty turned her momming powers to Logan. "When's the last time _you_ ate and slept in a bed?" The tall man looked at Tony for help against the tiny blonde. "That's what I thought. Both of you need to go home. Send Steve or Tasha or Barton."

Tony pulled out his phone, scrolling through the data. "I'll send Steve. What stuff of yours do you want him to bring?"

Kitty bit her lip. "There's a black backpack in my closet. It's got a couple changes of clothes, some books and stuff. If he could just bring that without going through it, that'd be great."

"You've got a go-bag?" Logan asked, his eyebrows raised. "Planning on running away?"

"No." Kitty said firmly. "Just a precaution." She narrowed her dark blue eyes at Logan, who glared right back at her. Her heart beat faster at the stand-off and Kitty tried her best to ignore it.

There was a minute of tense silence before Tony spoke. "I'll send Steve here with it." Both turned and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Kitty said, her voice panicked. "What day is it?"

Logan gave her an odd look and asked, "Why? You got somewhere to be?"

"The day?" Kitty prompted as she flicked her eyes at Logan. "Please."

"The ninth." Tony answered.

"Shit. Can I see your phone?" Kitty asked Tony, nodding to the device in his hand. "I really need it." She added when he hesitated.

"Tell me why first."

Kitty sighed and rolled her eyes. "I need to transfer over some money to a friend."

"A friend?" Logan repeated, skeptical.

"Yes," Kitty sneered. "A friend. I do have those, ya know."

"Why are you transferring this 'friend' money?" Tony crossed his arms over his chest. If this was a mercenary thing, he wasn't about to take part in it.

"Because I transfer her money every month to make sure she's comfortable and has everything she needs." Kitty explained. "I've been doing it since she was sixteen, so it's like a ritual at this point."

Tony silently handed Kitty the phone, so she continued. "Both of her parents were murdered when she was a child and her adopted father was a pedophile. One of the other girls who had lived in the house contracted me to kill him. I did it free of charge, of course." She assured them. "Akiko was the youngest there, so I moved her from Japan to here and made a deal with her." Kitty scrolled on the phone and made the transfer to the girls account. "I give her over a couple thousand a month to cover everything she needs and pay her tuition, and in return, she sends me her grades and proof she's doing well in school." Kitty handed the phone back to Tony and smiled proudly. "She's going to Yale to be a lawyer."  
"You're paying for a girl, that you're in no way related to, to go to Yale?" Logan asked.

"Akiko is very smart. She became fluent in English in about a year." Kitty said. "I try to visit her every couple of months, make sure she's doing alright. I stopped by before I came back here and she has a lot of friends and is top of her class." Tony just looked at Logan and shook his head. "Thank you for letting me borrow your phone. Now go, sleep." She ordered, trying to sound stern.

"You need to sleep, too, you know." Tony picked up his jacket that had been draped over a chair and put it on.

"I will." Kitty promised, her eyelids already becoming heavy. "Good night Logan, night dad." She whispered before succumbing to the darkness.

The lights were off when she woke up, except for lamp that Steve was using to read a magazine. He was sitting in Tony's chair on the left side of her bed, far enough for the light to not bother her, but close enough for him to see if something was wrong.

"Whatcha readin', 'Cap?" Kitty breathed dazedly, looking around the small hospital room.

"Hey, there," He smiled. "You gave us quite a scare there." Steve Rogers held up the periodical and answered, "Time magazine. Tony ordered them for me. I'm on 1968."

Kitty smiled. "60's had some good music. 'White Room' by Cream came out in '68." She sat up a little and felt a bolt of pain go through her leg. Kitty winced slightly, trying to contain her facial expressions as to not let him know that she felt as though her body was being split in two. "How long was I out?"

Steve put down the magazine and rest his arms on the edge of Kitty's hospital bed. "Thirteen hours. You know, if you're in pain, we can put you back on the higher pain med-"

"No." Kitty interrupted. She lifted her hand and pat Steve's arm reassuringly. "I'm okay, really." She added, before deciding to change the topic. "Did you bring my bag?"

Steve nodded and reached down to grab her black backpack. "Tony said you didn't want me to look in it, so I didn't." He gave it to her and watched as she extracted a pad of paper and some pencils before handing the bag back to him.

"Who brought those?" Kitty nodded to a small vase full of sunflowers and lilacs in the corner.

Steve glanced over at them before shrugging. "I don't know. Nurses said they were dropped off by a tall, dark haired man."

"I'm surrounded by tall men." Kitty pointed out with a smile.

"Well, it wasn't from any of us. I can pull up the surveillance footage for you, but whoever it is is wearing a bandana or mask around their face. We couldn't really see, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't LeRoux. The person was too tall and more muscular."

"Oh," Kitty said shortly, her eyes still focused on the arrangement. "And it wasn't Wilson, right?"

"No." Steve's eyebrows drew together and he looked at the flowers again. "Is there something wrong? Should I take them away-"

"No." She shook her head. "Just curious-"_ on who the fuck knows that those are my two favorite flowers_\- "So if you guys figure out who sent them, lettme know."

"Of course."

Kitty started sketching awkwardly on the paper, trying to find a way to draw while still lying mostly down. Steve went back to his magazine and they sat like that for a while, her drawing and him reading. It was nice, them sitting together quietly. After she finished her first sketch, she decided to approach the topic that had been occupying her mind. "So, how's Deadpool doing?"

"He's healed by now, but Peter's keeping him down for the next couple days. He was close to the bomb when it detonated, ended up being blown three blocks. Almost tore him into pieces." Steve explained.

Kitty's hand stopped moving and the screen monitoring her heart rate sped up as she remembered the explosion. She could almost feel the heat burning at her back and the metal embedded in her leg. Kitty couldn't hear Steve asking her if she was okay. Instead, she heard Ashley LeRoux laughing as he kicked her. She heard his Southern drawl as he called her "his dahlia" and her heart rate sped.

"Kitty?" Steve gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Kitty, can you hear me?" Her breathing was heavy and the ringing in her ears became unbearable. Then, it all made sense.

"He had it with him," Kitty whispered. "That bastard had the bomb with him at the restaurant."

"Are you sure?"

She flicked her eyes to Steve's worried face and nodded. "He could have done it right then and there but he waited. He did this because I said no to joinin' him."

"Kitty, this isn't your fault." Steve told her, but it was too late. Kitty's heart rate monitor started beeping off the charts and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her O2 level on the screen dropped dramatically. "I'm going to go get a nurse." Steve jabbed his thumb back at the nurses station.

"No!" Kitty shook her head. "I'm okay. Just...It just sometimes hurts when I breathe in..." She made an effort to sit up as she moved her sketchbook.

"The nurse said you might have problems for a few weeks because of all the cracked ribs." Steve was still looking at her with concern over her episode.

"Cracked ribs?" Kitty stopped what she was doing and looked up at Steve.

He nodded. "From the CPR."

"The nurse didn't tell me that they had to do CPR."

"That's because _they_ didn't." He said simply, going back to reading his magazine. "Logan did."

"Logan?" Kitty asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, he got to you first. When I found you two, he had been doing CPR for over fifteen minutes non-stop. We finally found a pulse sometime after that, then you woke up."

"He did CPR on me for fifteen minutes?" Kitty's eyes widened and her heart raced again.

"No, he was at fifteen minutes when I got there. It was probably closer to twenty five by the time you woke up."

"Oh…" Kitty sat there, thinking back to those painful moments. "Are, uh, are Tony and Logan sleeping at the Tower?" Kitty asked as a nurse entered the room, smiling brightly at Steve.

"Uh, yeah. Tony texted me just before you woke up saying that they would be over soon." Steve said as the nurse checked over the chart hanging on the end of the bed and pulled out a vile to inject into the IV in Kitty's arm.

"Good, they needed the sleep." Kitty felt a wave of dizziness hit and she held her breath until it passed. "I think I'll nap until they get here, if you would be so kind as to wake me up when..." And just like that, she drifted off yet again.


	10. Mr Brownstone

**Mr. Brownstone**

Kitty finally woke up again, two days later, and this time she actually felt better. Better enough to fully sit up and eat some of the ridiculous jello that the nurse gave her. Kitty hated to admit, it was quite delicious after not eating for over a week.

She spent most of the day drawing, reading, and feeling bored at being stuck in bed. Kitty took her medications like she was supposed to and tried to not let her mind wander back to the explosion. It was late in the day when Deadpool visited, several comic books clutched in his hands.

He stuck his red and black cloaked head into her room to make sure she was awake, then the rest of his body followed. "Hey, Vixen." He greeted carefully. She didn't look up from her book, so he pulled his mask off and tried again a bit louder. "Vics!"

Kitty Vic's head shot up and she smiled widely. "Oh, hey Sarge!" Kitty sat up a bit more, closing her sketchbook. "You look better."

Deadpool turned around in a circle with his arms out. "Fully healed. Well, I still have a residual pain in my hand, but other than that, not bad. I, uh, brought these for you." He handed the comic books to Kitty, then came to perch on the edge of Kitty's bed rather than the empty chairs. "How about you?"

She stashed the comic books in her bag, placing it back on the floor for later. "I have to stay in here for a bit longer because Evelyn refuses to come into hospitals, which I find completely understandable. She said she'll try to fix me up as soon as I get out of here, but apparently she's not very good with bones, whatever the hell that means. Downside is that she said I won't be running down bad guys for a couple weeks." They had told her the news earlier, and it almost hurt more than the injury itself. Kitty found herself very jealous at Logan and Deadpool, both of whom could heal ridiculously fast.

"So, what will you do if you can't chase down the bad guys?" Deadpool asked.

"I don't know. Sit around, eat, get fat?" She suggested sarcastically.

"Sounds like fun." Deadpool smiled. "Can I join?"

"Not sure if Tony'll want you around the Tower that much." Kitty brushed some of her hair out of her face, careful of the IV line in her arm. "Or did I miss something while I was asleep?"

"Not really. Just the 'Thanks for helping out and being blown up' shit." Deadpool stretched out his legs, resting them on the desk by Kitty's head.

"What about Ashley?" Kitty asked in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. "Heard anything?"

"We haven't found him." Deadpool admitted.

Kitty tried to stifle the anger she felt for the Southern man. "I know he's rich, but he can't just disappear!" She whined.

"Maybe he can." Deadpool suggested, leaning his back about the railing at the foot of her bed. "I mean, you saw him down there. He would disappear, then show up in across the fucking room. Maybe he's a Mutant." Deadpool raised his burnt-off eyebrows suggestively.

Kitty stared at him, her mind running a thousand miles per hour. "Have you mentioned this to anyone?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"No," Deadpool shook his head. "Just you, me, and Logan know."

"Logan went to the cafeteria." Kitty nodded her head out to the hallway. "When he gets back, I think we should have a meeting on our Ashley LeRoux problem."

"Stark went back to the Tower-"

"No." Kitty cut him off, her eyes filled with a warning. "Just us."

Deadpool gave her an odd look. "Since when do you want to go behind Iron Giant Dick's back?" He asked, sitting up a little straighter.

"Whenever I do naughty things, like kill people." Kitty shot. "Besides, it's more like going around him. Not behind." Kitty stretched with her arms above her head and a shot of pain hit her. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself, but it didn't help. The machine monitoring her heartbeat started beeping louder and louder as her rhythm became unsteady.

"Heard them talking about you going off the morphine." Deadpool hinted. "You could've given it to me, shared with the class."

"Well," Kitty gasped. "How impolite of me." She rolled her eyes and glanced at the open door, wondering when Logan was coming back.

"Vics, I know- probably better than all these fuckwads," Deadpool gestured widely. "That you hate pain medicine, but I also know you're in pain. No, don't give me that fucking look, I know you are."

Kitty mentally weighed her options. "Promise you won't tell the doctors?"

Deadpool made an "X" motion over his heart.

"Fine," Kitty admitted reluctantly. "Yes, I'm in pain. It feels like my body is being ripped apart, my leg is killing me and my head alternates between feelin' like it's being stabbed and feeling like it's being stuffed with cotton. Sometimes, I can't breathe without it feeling like I'm breathin' in needles and every single bloody time I think about Ashley, it gets even worse. It doesn't help that all of this is my fault because I refuse to work for a goddamn psychopath."

Deadpool stared at Kitty for several moments before silently pulling his mask back on, swinging his legs off the bed, and walking out the room.

"Sarge?" Kitty called, craning her head to try to see where Deadpool went. "Sarg-Oh," She gasped upon Logan's entrance in the doorway. She pointed at the door. "Deadpool just left with no explanation."

"Yeah, he's weird like that." Logan acknowledged, moving through the room to his chair. "So, how do you feel?"

Kitty sighed and tried to smile. "I'm just peachy."

"Right." Logan smirked, looking down at Kitty.

"Really, I'm okay." Kitty tried to convince him, to no avail.

Deadpool walked into the room, followed by a male nurse in mint green scrubs. The nurse was holding a syringe filled with a clear liquid and smiling ear to ear in a very disconcerting manner. Kitty's eyes darted back and forth between the two and she became uneasy. Her heart started beating faster as she realized the betrayal at hand.

"What is that?" She looked at Logan, who looked as confused as she felt. "What the fuck is that?"

"Kitty…" Deadpool started but she cut him off.

"No," Kitty shook her head violently. "No, you wouldn't, Sarge, you wouldn't. You promised." Her voice broke and she looked at Logan for help. "Prometiste." The nurse grabbed her IV and pushed the syringe into the line. "No, don't." She sunk back into the pillows in defeat and anger. "You lied to me." Kitty cried before the warmth spread from her IV throughout her body. "Eres un mentiroso." A feeling of calm set over her and Kitty fought off a wave of drowsiness as she struggled to stay awake.

"I think you should leave." Logan growled at Deadpool, his claws sliding out of his knuckles. "_Now_."

Deadpool silently left the room, his head lowered in shame as Kitty watched him leave.

"Why did he lie?" Kitty's speech slurred and she tried, unsuccessfully, to blink the fogginess settling into her mind. "Sarge...He...He promised he wouldn't tell. He _lied_ to me." She squeaked.

"I don't know why." Logan sat next to her and brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. "Just go to sleep."

She looked up at him with glassy blue eyes with tears that threatened to overflow. "I doan wanna," Kitty cried stubbornly, her voice carrying a Southern tint. "I doan wanna sleep, I want outta here." She tried to get up, but found that her body wasn't responding. "I wanna find Ashley and rip 'em apart."

Logan sighed, softly tracing his thumb over her hand. "Just sleep, Kitty. Please. You'll feel better if you do."

"I feel," Kitty breathed in deeply. "Quite fine now. Very warm, actually." She smiled dopily, her head wavering slightly. She raised her free hand up and softly tousled Logan's hair. "You gotta bit of grey, old man." Kitty giggled, fascinated with his hair. Her nails gently raked across his scalp and Logan's eyes started to slide shut with content.

"I still age, you know. Just not..." Logan's voice trailed off.

"Just not like us borin', fragile, sad, pathetic little humans." Kitty finished bitterly, sighing loudly. Her smile faded and she dropped her hand to her side. Logan opened his eyes and saw a look of confusion cross her face. "Why do you do that?" She asked, suddenly utterly bewildered.

"Do what?"

"That." Kitty gently tapped his knuckles lazily before running her fingers softly over the top of his hand. "I know it's gotta hurt. Your face…" She paused, searching for the right word. "It just barely twitches every time. I don't like to see you in pain, so why do it if it hurts you?"

Luckily, he didn't have to think up an excuse on why because less than a minute later, Kitty was sound asleep with her hand still on his.


	11. The Annie Wilkes Edition

**The Annie Wilkes Edition**

Kitty fished the comic books Deadpool brought her out of her backpack, having finally run out of reading material. He had given her three issues and one had a sticky note on it. "Welcome to the party" was written on it in what she recognized as Deadpool's handwriting. She peeled the yellow note off and stared at the cover in shock.

It was a comic book of the Avengers, only the cover had her, Logan, and Deadpool fighting a villain that looked suspiciously like the Ice Arsonist. All three issues were on the same event, but each in their different point of views. She ran her finger over the artist's rendition of her, scoffing slightly.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked from his spot next to her bed. Kitty silently turned the comic book around so he could see the cover. "Oh, yeah." He shrugged. "It's just a comic book."

"Yeah, but it's us!" She blurted out, turning to the first page. "Introducing the Voluptuous Violent Vixen AKA Kitty Vics?!" Kitty read, her eyes wide as she looked at Logan.

"Your first issue, congratulations." He said in a bored voice, followed by the tapping of his fingers on his phone.

Kitty squeaked, "How do they know my name?"

"They know all our names." His answer was short and Kitty grew frustrated.

She leafed through the pages, her eyebrows drawn together. "But look how they drew me!" Kitty showed him a page where the "Voluptuous Violent Vixen" was in her underwear and a cropped t-shirt, laying on her bed in the Tower. It was after the fundraiser, the night that Kitty couldn't sleep. The comic version of her was dramatically tossing and turning. Her inner thoughts were written down and Kitty bit her lip to keep herself from ripping up the page. "I don't look like that! And, like most normal people, I wear clothes to bed! Not a thong and a fourth of a shirt! I feel violated!"

"Really?" Logan grabbed the comic book, inspecting the page. "I don't know, it looks like it's pretty close to me." Kitty rolled up one of the other comic books and smacked him with it before taking her issue back.

"How would you know? Besides, nobody's legs are that long and muscular in comparison to the rest of their body." Kitty argued. "And let's not even get started on how ridiculous they made my boobs look! They gave me a G cup with virtually no waist! That's not even possible!"

"So what cup size are you?" Logan asked, a smirk crossing his face as his eyes slid down to the front of her bulky hospital gown.

"Nice try." Kitty snorted, reaching for another issue. "Let's see how they drew you." She flipped through his comic book and found a shirtless Wolverine. "Oh, I doubt you look like that." She had to give the artist props, though; The comic versions were pretty hot.

"Give me that." Logan ordered, reaching for the issue. Kitty laughed maniacally, keeping the comic book away from him, her eyes still glued to the page.

"And Logan's inner turmoil when he saw Kitty emerge from her room, her midnight blue dress flowing behind her-" She read dramatically until Logan snatched away the book.

"These are fiction." He growled, waving the comic book around. "Nothing in here is right."

"Really? Because they seem to know what we're all thinking." Kitty pointed out, handing him her comic book back. The page opened to her in the bed, trying to figure out how she recognized Ashley's voice. Logan moved as if to turn the page and Kitty's heart monitor went beeped loudly. "No!" She cried, grabbing the book back. "You don't get to see the next page."

Logan gave an amused smile. "Why not?" He leaned closer to her bed.

She hugged the issue to her chest, her bottom lip sticking out. "They drew me changing into my suit."

"But you said it didn't look like you, so what does it matter?" He asked, reaching for the comic book.

She held it away again. "Because I don't look like the comic."

He raised an eyebrow and gave a short laugh. "So?"

Kitty looked down at the front of the comic book. "So, I don't look nearly as good in real life as I do in the comic." She stared sadly at the cover. They still drew her short compared to the rest of the group, but the artist had exaggerated her curves while thinning down her stomach and waist drastically. Her hair was beautiful, flowing long and wavy down her back. "The only thing they got right was my hair, and even that doesn't look as pretty now." She raised her hand to the section of her hair that had burned off.

"Are you really pouting because you don't look like a comic book character?" Logan asked.

"Yes! Because it's supposed to be me!" She half-cried.

Logan picked up the comic book he had snatched from her earlier, flipping it to the page where he was shirtless. He held his thumb over the inner dialog box and showed her the picture. "It's like you said, nobody actually looks like that. Not even Rogers on his super soldier steroids."

Kitty bit her lip, then sighed. "People actually read these?" She asked incredulously.

"Deadpool does." Logan answered, putting his issue where he thought it was out of her reach.

She planned on waiting until he fell asleep before Kitty would attempt to grab his comic book. She moved over to the furthest her bed would allow, and reached for the comic by Logan. She quickly snatched the book, careful to not wake him up. Kitty flipped to the page she had started reading earlier, and read the rest of the inner dialog box. Her eyes widened and she flicked back to the first page and read through the entire comic. She then replaced the comic so Logan wouldn't know she read it. She stayed awake most of the night, thinking about what she had read and if she should do anything about it…


	12. She Loves You, She Hates Me

**She Loves You, She Hates Me**

"Hey, Kitten."

Kitty looked up from her sketchpad to see a familiar face standing in the doorway. "Bruce?" She asked, closing her artist pad and stashing it by her side. "I thought you were somewhere in Africa."

"Well, I came back when I heard you'd been blown up." Bruce Banner explained, coming further into the room. His grey shirt hung loosely on his frame and he looked thinner than the last time Kitty had seen him. His dark hair was still as messy as ever, though, and Kitty wanted to run her hands through it. For scientific purposes, of course.

"I'm surprisingly whole for how close I was to the bomb." Kitty told him, watching his reaction closely.

"I noticed," He smiled slightly. "Still a little too close for my taste."

"Well, I didn't really fancy it either." Kitty pointed out, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Bruce came further into the room and stood next to her bed, taking in her appearance. Her usually beautiful blonde hair was cut odd, a result of the fire Tony had told him about. Kitty had circles under her dark blue eyes and her skin looked paper thin and pale with dark bruises littering her arms. She looked like a small, broken little porcelain doll.

Bruce had spoken to her doctor and found out that Kitty's leg had been riddled with shrapnel and it took several hours of surgery to get every piece out. He took in her bandaged up arm and leg and fought off the urge to wrap his arms around her.

"I wanted to talk but I understand if you don't feel up to it right now." He slid his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Talk about what?" Kitty asked.

He paused, then stole a glance at the open door. "So, uh, what's up with Wolverine?" He deflected in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice. It was not.

Kitty gave a soft, uncomfortable laugh. "Why do you want to talk about Logan?" She asked, her eyebrows drawn together.

Her calling him 'Logan' was not lost on Bruce. "Well, apparently, he hasn't really left your side since they brought you in," He nodded to the chair by the side of her bed that had become Logan's unofficial spot. "And Nat said he's been hanging around the Tower." He paused. "Are you and he-?"

"No," Kitty shook her head slightly. "Just friends."

"I didn't know he had any friends." There was a tense silence, and Kitty's mind ran wild with the possibilities of what he could say. "Kitty, I miss you. And I want us to get back together."

Kitty felt very confused. This was not a possibility she thought of. "But _you_ left _me_." She reminded him.

"I know," He admitted, looking down at the shiny laminate floor. "I know and I've been thinking of you the entire time I've been away and think I'm in control enough-"

"No." Kitty cut him off, shaking her head slowly. Bruce's face dropped and Kitty felt a pang of guilt run through her. "You…You left. You broke up with me, told me that you didn't love me, that nobody could ever love me, then packed up and you just _left_."

Bruce started to speak but paused to glance over at the door. Logan, a box of french fries clutched in his hands, walked in and sat down in his spot. He obviously had no intention of leaving so they could continue their private conversation. "Maybe we should talk about this later, Kitten." Bruce suggested with a dirty look at Logan. "Make sure you rest. Doctor's orders." He joked before he walked out the door.

Logan held out the box of french fries for her, and Kitty graciously grabbed a couple, deliberately ignoring the fact that she wasn't supposed to be eating such things yet. "Kitten?"

"It's a nickname." Kitty said as if he was stupid. "You know, sweetheart, darlin', princess, cher."

"And he decided on Kitten?" Logan asked, watching her face.

She raised her eyebrows and defensively asked, "What's wrong with Kitten?"

"Kitten sounds...Cute and innocent."

"And?"

"And you're too dangerous to be considered innocent." Logan smirked. Kitty shrugged and nodded in agreement. "So, why the hell was he here?" Logan asked her. Kitty silently ate the fries, refusing to look him in the eyes.

Kitty considered her answer carefully, remembering Bruce's question about Logan. "He wants us to get back together."

"Oh," Now it was Logan's turn to look uncomfortable. "Well, uh, what did you say?"

"I said no." She reached over to grab more fries, and Logan just handed the rest of the box to her.

"Why?" Logan sounded honestly curious, and not judgemental like she had expected.

"I don't know," She admitted, her light blonde eyebrows drawing together. "Maybe because of how bad he hurt me last time. He broke up with me then ran off to Africa." She munched on a fry thoughtfully. "I mean, it's been a year and he's only visitin' me because I was blown up. Not exactly promising for a stable relationship."

"You know that that's not unreasonable, right?" Logan asked.

Kitty tried to decide if she wanted to go down this path, then figured that now was as good a time as any. "Logan, they told me that I didn't have a pulse."

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you did CPR on me?" Kitty demanded. "That you couldn't find a pulse?"

There was a pause before Logan said, "I wasn't just going to let you die."

"Steve said you were at it for more than twenty minutes. Most people stop at ten, ya know."

"I just kept doing it until you woke up." Logan shrugged, as if this wasn't a big deal.

"Is that why you keep staying?" Kitty asked abruptly, looking down at the empty french fry container in her hands.

"What?"

"Is that why you keep staying here, hanging around my hospital bed?" Kitty gestured to the small room. "You brought me back to life and now you think you've got to stay?"

"No, I didn't-"

Kitty cut him off. "Well, surely you don't find hospitals interesting or fun, so I think I deserve to know why you're here'."

"Do you want me to go?" Logan stood up as if to leave.

"No." Kitty admitted, shaking her head. Logan sat back down. "I just want to know why." She brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face.

"Doesn't really sound like you asking." He noted, tilting his head at her slightly.

"Yeah, didn't expect you to answer anyways." Kitty pulled her sketchbook back out and started drawing.


	13. Hey Jude

**Hey Jude**

Kitty was dozing. Not really sleeping, but in a nice state of daydreaming, thanks to the medications. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She was still on guard, however, since Steve had just left for the day and it was over an hour before Natasha would be here. She tried to keep her mind off of the explosion and off her Tragic Backstory™️ by critiquing the movies on daytime television. After a few minutes of her thinking about what a shame it was for the third Karate Kid to not live up to its predecessors, Kitty felt like someone was watching her. Her eyes flicked open to see a shaggy-haired man by her door. She blinked through the slight grogginess, trying to recognize the person. "Bucky?"

He raised his hand in a small wave, but stayed in the doorway.

"What's up, hotshot?" Kitty asked, obviously bewildered at his sudden hospital visit.

"I, uh, came for a checkup," He nodded to his metal arm. "I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah, I was blown up." Kitty said lamely.

His face stayed remarkably straight for someone who didn't know why she was there. "Are you okay now?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay." Kitty watched him stand in the doorway, just staring at her. "So when's your appointment?"

"What?"

"For your arm?" Kitty reminded him.

"Oh." Bucky up at the clock and said, "Uh, not until six."

"Wanna keep me company?" Kitty asked. "I mean, I'll probably fall asleep, but Tasha won't be here for a while." He was silent. "You don't have to stay the full hour until your appointment," She rushed to say. "But it'd be nice to have someone here."

"Okay." He hesitantly agreed. Bucky sat down in the chair closest to Kitty and she saw him look at the bruises and cast.

"Piece of metal broke through the bone." Kitty felt the need to explain, since Bucky was still staring at her leg with an odd expression. "They had to put a bunch of bars in the cast to keep it stable, I guess."

"Who did it?"

"A guy named Ashley LeRoux."

"Why?"

Kitty sighed, slightly irritated at all the questions. "I don't know! Some hard on for blondes, how the hell should I know?!"

Bucky looked back down at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Bucky," Kitty leaned over and put her hand on his metal one. "I'm just grumpy, I shouldn't take it out on you." He focused his attention on her hand covering his. "Hey, do you know how to braid hair?" Bucky's eyebrows drew together but eventually he nodded. "Would you mind braiding mine back? It's too hot in here to have it down and Steve didn't know how-"

"Do you have a brush?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah, in that bag." Kitty pointed down at her rucksack.

Bucky leaned down and started to riffle through the bag, only to stop. Kitty watched as he slowly withdrew her sketchbook.

Kitty's eyes widened and she quickly said, "That's kinda private-"

Bucky opened it up and started leafing through it. Finally he stopped at a self-portrait that Kitty had done in a mirror. He showed it to her and proudly said, "This is my favorite."

"Oh." Kitty sat there confused as he put the sketchbook back and got out her hairbrush. She turned so he could have better access to her hair, which he carefully started brushing. Her eyes drifted closed and she smiled. "Isn't it funny how good something simple, like brushin' your hair, can feel?"

"I like it when people brush my hair."

"I can brush yours, if you want." Kitty said as she turned to look at him.

Bucky shook his head and told her, "I like your hair. You need to sleep, Sunshine."

"Yeah…" Kitty yawned. "I am feelin' pretty sleepy." She hugged her pillow to her chest while Bucky continued to brush her hair. "I could fall asleep just like this…"

She was asleep in seconds and Bucky didn't leave until Natasha got there, around nine at night.


	14. Snow White and the Poisoned Flower

**Snow White and the Poisoned Flower**

A voice jerked Kitty Vics from her sleep. Her hospital room was dark and Kitty saw on the clock by her bed that it was just past two-thirty in the morning. Her eyes swept the room, but saw nothing out of place. She shut her eyes again, concluding that what she had heard had been a dream...But then she heard it again.

"Dahlia."

Kitty sat up fast, ignoring the intense pain radiating through her body as she looked for the intruder. It was too dark to see anything, though, and the light coming in from the hallway wasn't bright enough to give her peace of mind.

"_Dahlia_."

Kitty's head whipped around in the direction that the voice came. "Ashley?" She whispered, her voice unsure.

Laughter flowed through the air as Kitty clenched her teeth. She patted her hand on the table, feeling around for something to use as a weapon without taking her eyes off of the corner. She grasped a pen and held it tight enough to whiten her knuckles, ready to use.

"Hello, cher." Ashley Sinclare Roux walked out of the shadows, clad in an emerald green suit and purple gloves with a purple tie. He looked like Jack Nicholson's Joker and Kitty would have laughed if he didn't make her so frustrated. His chronic five o'clock shadow was in place, but Ashley's dirty blond hair looked messier than usual. There were just the faintest hint of dark circles under his tanned skin, as if he hadn't slept the past few nights. He had a vase full of beautiful flowers in one gloved hand and a book in the other.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't scream." Kitty demanded.

Ashley stepped closer to her bed and set down the book and flowers. "Because I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"And yet, here I am." Kitty waved to the hospital room with one hand while pressing the nurse call button with her other hand.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Ashley's moss colored eyes fell on the cast on her leg. "I was worried 'bout you."

"You blew me up, Ashley." Kitty said bluntly. "I'm obviously not okay."

Ashley paused. "I didn't know it would be this bad. I tried to get you out before it exploded. I only meant to blow up the other ones. The one with the claws."

"Oh, well that makes _everything_ okay." Kitty's voice dripped with sarcasm and she nodded her head slowly. "I mean, you didn't mean to blow _me_ up. Just my friends and family, so that makes everything better."

"I didn't know they were that important to you," Ashley admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just figured they were colleagues."

"Well, they are that important to me." She retorted. "You really expect me to be able to work with you when you're okay, even excited, about killing people I love?"

"Do you?" Ashley asked quietly, his eyes cast downwards. "Do you love him?"

Kitty's eyebrows drew together in confusion and she asked, "Who?"

"The man with the claws." Ashley explained as he tucked a strand of dirty blond hair out of his face. "He was at the fundraiser, then in the buildin' with you. I also know that he's been here at the hospital a lot."

"I don't think that's any of your business, Ashley." Kitty said softly, uncomfortable with the straight-forwardness of his question.

"I guess you're right. I'll leave these flowers here since I'm not welcome." Ashley said sadly as he set down the flowers. "I'm real sorry for this, Dahlia." He whispered before disappearing back into the shadows.

A nurse opened the door and flicked on the switch, sending light into every inch of the room. He poked his head in and asked, "Can I help you Ms…" He reached over and took her chart from the end of the bed. "Stark?" He replaced the chart and smiled down at her.

Kitty glanced over at the empty corner and said slowly, "I was just wondering if anyone has come by."

"Do you mean your father? He wanted me to tell you that the big, dark haired guy would be in soon. Said they were running patrols, looking for someone? Is that some sorta cop thing?"

"Yeah, sorta." Kitty said, laying back down in her bed. She coughed a few times before asking, "When did Tony leave?"

"Uhh…" The nurse looked down at his watch. "About an hour or so ago, so that other guy should be here any minute."

"Okay, thank you." Kitty nodded her head, thinking fast. "Hey, wait a second!" She said, watching as the nurse turned back around to face her. "Could you hand me that book?" Kitty pointed to Ashley's book.

"Yeah, here." The nurse picked it up and read the cover before handing it to Kitty. "Is it any good?"

Kitty sighed. "I wouldn't know. Thank you."

"I'll send that man in when he gets here, but try to sleep, okay?" The nurse said before slipping out the door to the hall.

Kitty flipped open the cover of the book and saw that it had writing on the first page. "_In this book, the girl falls for the bad boy, but sadly, life is not like the books and we will not live happily ever after_". Enraged, Kitty threw the book across the room as hard as she could, nearly hitting Logan in the process.

"What'd the book ever do to you, princess?" Logan asked, bending down to pick up the offending object. The cover of the book had a young, blonde woman in an old fashioned, red dress, looking over her shoulder with a sultry, knowing glance. Logan noted that woman heavily resembled Kitty.

"Read the damn cover page." Kitty ordered. "And don't call me princess." She coughed a few times and felt lightheaded as more anger built up in her.

Logan opened the book and read the inscription. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Ask Ashley LeRoux. He just dropped it off a few minutes ago with those flowers." Kitty pointed at the arrangement and coughed again.

"He was here?" This came out as more of a growl than a question.

"Yeah." She pressed her hand to her mouth and drew it back to see that she had coughed up bright red blood.

"Logan?" Kitty asked in a shaky voice as she looked at her bloody hand. Her chest ached and she continued coughing, only this time, she couldn't catch her breath. The monitor hooked up to her started beeping loudly and Kitty felt like she was suffocating as she fought to breathe. She looked over and saw Logan doubled over and it dawned on her: Ashley had delivered her the poisoned flowers she had mentioned all those days ago.

"Poison!" Kitty gasped. She quickly scribbled "poison flowers" on her arm with her pen before pressing the call nurse button. Logan was shaking and still coughing as he kneeled next to Kitty's bed. "The flowers are poisoned, Logan, I'm so sorry." She whispered to him before falling into a seizure.

Kitty's memories from that moment on were fuzzy and confusing. At one point, she saw men in yellow suits prying open her eyes, shining a light in them as she flew down the hallway. The hall smelled like bleach and it burned her nose. Her chest had a fire raging in it and she recognized that sort of pain from the explosion. Kitty idly wondered if she was dying again. They were asking her questions, but Kitty couldn't remember how to open her mouth to speak, so she just remained silent until her mind drifted away.

The other memory she had was of her looking over and seeing someone familiar laying on a bed next to her. "Logan?" She whispered just before she ripped an oxygen mask off her face.

The people in yellow suits were sticking needles in him and using silver paddles on his chest to restart his heart.

Kitty, in a rare moment of clarity, screamed, "Logan!" She scrambled on the bed to get to him, but doctors held her back. She flailed her arms, not noticing the pain in her leg and lungs as she fought to get closer to his unmoving body.

Kitty saw Logan's chest and back jolt up unnaturally. The doctors recharged the paddles, much to her horror. "Logan!" Kitty heard the loud whine of his heart monitor telling her that his heart had stopped. "No! No!" Kitty wailed, fighting off one of the doctors holding her down. "Logan, wake up!" Her voice broke as she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Come back, you bastard." She whispered.

Kitty finally got close enough to touch his face with her trembling hand. She couldn't help but cringe at how cool his skin felt before a nurse dragged her off of him. "No, no, no! Give him back, goddammit, give him back!" Kitty commanded, grabbing one of the hazmat-suited doctors. "Bring. Him. Back." She growled, her teeth bared as the doctor fought to get out of her grip. She saw them shock his heart again before a nurse jabbed her in the arm with a needle and she floated off again.

There were a couple times when she heard her name, but Kitty was too tired to deal with them, so she just listened to the voices.

"It looks like the B12 treatment is working." One of the voices, clearly female, said positively. "Her vitals have improved dramatically over the last two days."

"But it's not cyanide poisoning." A second voice responded. "The symptoms weren't fast enough for acute poisoning and none of them fell into comas."

"Maybe it's a mutated strain." Voice #1 suggested. There was a rustling sound before she said, "They think it was homemade. Whatever it is, it's powerful."

"What about the other patient?" Voice #2 asked, and Kitty tried to concentrate on hearing their conversation. "I heard he's been giving the nurses trouble."

"He's been _demanding_ to see her, driving the nurses insane. I heard them talking about sedating him so he gets some sleep." Voice #1 sighed. "He had the most contact with the poison. The nurse said that Ms. Stark told him that she thought the flowers were poisoned, so he put the flowers in a bag then tied it off before his seizures started. He went into full cardiac and pulmonary arrest, but he made it." The voice sighed. "We tried to X-ray him. That was fun." She said sarcastically. "His body lit up like a Christmas tree and our machines started breaking down. I'd never seen so much metal in a person before, covering his entire skeleton. Even the EKG leads didn't respond to him. But then he woke up a day or so later, healthy enough to immediately start bugging the nurses about her."

"Really? Do you mind if I take a look at his scans?" Voice #2 asked, his voice dripping with curiosity.

"Yeah, I think they're being passed around the second floor break room. Almost no one can believe that he's awake. They said he's a Mutant and that's why he recovered so quickly. It's amazing, I wish all our patients healed like that."

"What about this one?" Voice #2 asked. "You think she's some sorta Mutant?"

There was a long pause before Voice #1 said, "I think she can hear us. Ms. Stark? Ms. Stark, can you hear me? Nod your head if you can hear me."

After some determination, Kitty managed to nod her head. She tried to talk, but found that she couldn't due to something being in her mouth and throat.

"No, no, no. Don't talk." Voice #2 said. "You're intubated. There's a tube in your throat to keep it open so you can breathe."

Kitty's eyes fluttered open and tried to understand her surroundings. The room was bright white with yellow biohazard signs scattered around. There was very little in the space beside her bed and the machines she was hooked up to. The two voices were in yellow hazmat suits with masks covering their faces and gloves to protect their hands. A panic set in at her inability to talk or move her legs and her heart monitor peaked again. Kitty raised one of her hands and started twisting it around, trying to get her point across.

"Is she signing?" Voice #2 asked his colleague.

"I think so." Voice #1 nodded her head. "Do you know any sign language?"

"No, but I think Malik Phillips in Peds does. Let me go see if he's available." Kitty watched as Voice #2 left the room. It wasn't long until a different person in a white hazmat suit walked in.

Kitty started signing again, slowly, to make sure the man she assumed was Malik could understand.

"She wants to know if someone named Logan is okay." Malik translated to Voice #1, who seemed to be the main doctor.

"He's the patient who was infected along with her." She explained to the translator before turning to Kitty. "Yes, Logan is fine. He's still in quarantine, but otherwise he's doing okay. He's been asking about you."

"And now she wants to know…" Malik watched Kitty's signs carefully. "If that nurse is okay. Wasn't it Kenny working?" He asked Voice #1, who nodded.

"Yeah, it was Ken. He's okay, his exposure was minimal and because he's a very healthy person, it wasn't too bad. He didn't even have any seizures."

Kitty nodded and signed "Thank you" as her eyes slid shut and she passed out again.


	15. Cyanide and Old Lace

**Cyanide and Old Lace**

"How's she doing?" Tony was standing in an observation deck, looking in on Kitty in her clean room. He turned to the nurse and asked, "Has she woken up?"

"She's responding very well to the treatment." The nurse nodded her head. "She was awake just long enough to use sign language to ask about the other two infected patients."

"How long will she be intubated?" Tony asked, looking over at Kitty again.

"When she can breathe by herself with no problems, the tube can stay out. But until then, we have to keep it in to make sure her airway isn't obstructed in case she goes into respiratory failure again."

"Okay," Tony nodded, rubbing his tired eyes with his fist. "Okay, so do you have any idea when she can come home?"

"We should be able to have her out of here by Christmas, if everything goes alright and there's no delayed reaction to the treatments." The nurse encouraged with a kind smile. "She was very lucky that she figured out the the flowers were poisoned when she did. Another ten minutes and she wouldn't have made it."

Kitty kept her eyes shut, but raised her arm and started signing.

"She says, 'Hey, dad.'," Malik, who had been transferred to be Kitty's nurse, stood next to her bed and started translating for Tony. "And she wants to know if you've found someone named Ashley."

Tony pressed the microphone button in the observation room and said, "No, we haven't found him yet, Kit."

Malik watched as Kitty opened her eyes and aggressively signed. "She says she's going to rip him into pieces." He said with a bit of a laugh, obviously unknowing of what this tiny blonde was capable of.

"I don't exactly think you're in a position to be ripping anyone apart, Kit." Tony reminded her.

Kitty raised her hand high enough so he could see it and slowly extended her middle finger up.

Malik smiled and turned to face the glass separating the rooms. "Do you need that one translated?"

Tony rubbed his neck. "No, no. I got that one."

Kitty started to sign again. "She says she wants the tube out…" Malik notified them, waiting until she was done before continuing. "And to see Logan."

"We can't take the tube out until your breathing is stable." The nurse in the observation room explained to her.

"Logan, then?" Malik translated. "Please?"

The doctors and nurses exchanged nods. "I suppose if you two were both exposed to the same poison, there's no harm in you two seeing each other." She took her finger off the microphone button and turned to the nurse. "That way he stops bothering you guys about her."

"Hey, Kitty?" Tony asked. "Is it okay if I drop by the Tower?"

"She said to go get some sleep and say 'Hi' to Steve. She'll be fine here." Malik reassured Tony, who left the observation room.

Malik, still in his hazmat suit, walked over to a door almost fully camouflaged in the white wall and swiped a key card, opening the door. She saw Logan sitting in a room extremely similar to hers, only he wasn't hooked up to multiple machines. When he saw that the door was open, he stood up and followed the nurse into Kitty's room. Kitty waved at him and started signing.

"She said 'Nice scrubs'." Malik told him.

"They won't give me back my clothes because they're contaminated." Logan pouted.

Malik watched her sign before saying, "She doesn't think it's fair that you're healed."

"I know it's not fair." Logan agreed, sitting on the corner of her bed since there were no chairs in there. Kitty moved over as much as she could so he could be comfortable.

"Sorry for the poison." Malik translated.

"It's okay." Logan assured her. "At least it won't kill me."

Kitty started signing very fast and Malik fought to keep up. "She said he's still a… A what?" He asked her, and Kitty slowed down again. "Ohh, gotcha, gotcha." He nodded his head, then turned to Logan. "She said he's a filthy bastard. She would also like you to know that she is fine and can be extubated, but as an RN, I beg a differ on that last one."

"Kitty, I don't think you're alright."

She decided to ignore Logan and instead signed Malik for a pen and pad of paper.

He nodded. "Yeah, I can get you that." The nurse got up and left the room.

Kitty pointed at Logan and held up her thumb in an 'Okay?' gesture.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Malik came back with a notebook and a pen, handing them off to Kitty. She awkwardly started writing with it, frustrated that her handwriting was coming out shaky and warped. She handed it to Logan. "When can we leave the bubble?"

"That's a great question." He turned to Malik and held up the notebook for him to see.

"You've got another round of B12 to go through." The nurse explained through the hazmat suit. "We need to make sure that your lungs can handle breathing on their own before we take you off the oxygen. They can probably take out the metal bars in your calf around that time and slap a plaster cast on there. Then each of you need to be decontaminated again."

Kitty wrote, "Oh. Yay. (Sarcasm)" on the sheet and showed it to him. She pulled it back down and scribbled, "So, what was it?"

"The docs think it was some form of a homemade cyanide. It's not nearly as lethal as regular cyanide, but still pretty powerful stuff. Both of you went into grand mal seizures and you," He pointed to Kitty. "Became delirious. You tried to fight the doctors when we had to resuscitate you." He nodded to Logan before turning back to Kitty. "Kept screaming and crying and punching anyone who came near him. Then when his heart stopped, you were threatening and screaming for them to save him. You put up a pretty good fight for someone with that amount of poison in your system. Even gave one of the doctors a black eye. They finally had to knock you out and separate you two because they were afraid that you were going to injure yourself or someone else."

"Sorry about that." Kitty wrote, showing it to Malik. "I've been known to be 'overly aggressive when provoked'."

Logan gave a short laugh. "Overly aggressive when provoked?"

"It's what they wrote in my personnel file before I was discharged." Kitty divulged on her paper. "Apparently it's only okay to be aggressive when you're doing what they tell you to do."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Logan nodded. "Hey, is there anyway to get a chair or something in here?" He asked Malik.

"We can bring your bed in here, but that's all the furniture allowed in the clean room." Logan stood up and helped the nurse bring his bed over to Kitty's room. By the time they got there, Kitty was fast asleep, the pen still in her hand and the paper in her lap.


	16. From Germany, With Love

**From Germany, With Love**

"I'm boooooooored." Kitty complained, although she was grateful that they took the tube out of her throat two days ago.

"Yeah," Logan sighed, leaning back against his pillow. "Me too."

Kitty smiled mischievously and said, "I bet we could sneak outta here."

"Kitty, your entire leg is in a full cast." He reminded her, waving to the large plaster cast now on her leg. They had taken out the metal bars in her leg earlier that day and Kitty was verbal about leaving the hospital since. "I don't think you can sneak anywhere."

"Logan," Kitty whined loudly, turning her head to look at him. "I don't appreciate you tearing apart my vague and not very well thought out plan. It's just rude."

"Sorry, I'm sure it would work and you could escape from here with nobody noticing."

"That's more like it." She said with a smirk. There was a minute of silence and Kitty bit her lip and softly said, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Logan asked, knowing the answer already. He figured it was best to let her keep apologizing and get it out of her system.

"The flowers were for me." She reminded him, trying to bury the hate she felt for Ashley. "You're in here because of me."

"It's not like I have anywhere better to be." Logan pointed out. "Besides, it's that LeRoux guy's fault."

"Still, it made your heart stop," Kitty winced, remembering him on the bed with no heartbeat and the fear she felt. "That had to hurt like a bitch."

"I've been through worse."

"Like what?" Kitty asked curiously as he raised his eyebrows. "It's like you said, we don't have anything better to do. Let's swap some war stories." He stayed silent so she offered, "I'll go first."

"Okay." Logan nodded.

Kitty sat up a bit straighter and asked, "Did I ever tell you about the time I left a German prince at the altar?"

"Uh, no." Logan said slowly, shaking him head.

"Okay, well, let me start out by saying that I can speak, read, and write seven different languages and not one of those is German." Kitty explained with a smile. "So, I was in Munich on a job and this kinda cute guy comes up to me and starts speaking rapid German. And you know that smile-nod thing you do when you have absolutely no idea what someone is saying?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was doing that. This guy takes me out to dinner, and I don't understand a single word he's saying. So, I wake up in this room with no memory of how I got there. I had absolutely no idea where I was, but the room looks like it's made of gold. I was so distracted by the gold," She paused, waving her hands. "Everything, that I didn't notice that almost _all_ of my clothes were gone. The only thing in the room was this beautiful, breath-taking white gown hanging on the back of a wardrobe. So, I figure, what the hell, I'm not going to walk around in my underwear, and I put it on. Then, there's a knock at the door. I open it and there's a very nice woman who comes in and starts putting makeup on me. Now, I'm trying every single language I know- English, Spanish, Greek, Gaelic, French, Latin. Hell, I even tried sign language."

"Wait a second," Logan said, holding up his hands. "You speak _Latin_?"

"Yeah." Kitty shrugged.

"Who the hell speaks Latin?"

"Well, how _else_ am I going to summon the demons to take me home?" Kitty smiled. "Anyways, the girl only speaks German, of course. She finishes my makeup and it's like, Hollywood quality makeup, then she does this intricate braid thing with my hair and pins it up. I've tried to escape this woman, like four times, and she was just not having it. She finishes my hair and makeup, then gives me these Cinderella diamond shoes and I'm freaking out, wondering how, with all these languages, no one can understand me. By the time I realize what the hell is going on, the wedding march is going on in the background and this woman is leading me through this bloody castle where all the servants bow when I walk and I'm trying to figure out how to escape. The girl stops at a door and hands me off to a man wearing a kilt, so I try asking him what the hell is going on in Gaelic. Hallelujah, he speaks Gaelic!" She threw her hands up in the air with a smile, remembering her relief. "He kinda looks at me funny and said, "The Prince asked for your hand in marriage last night and you agreed." And now I'm hyperventilating and tell him, "I don't remember anything last night. He was speaking gibberish and I drank some wine he gave me that tasted kinda funny, then I woke up mostly nude in a bed."

"He drugged you." Logan translated through his teeth, anger coursing through him.

"Well, honestly that's the only way anyone's getting me down an aisle in a white dress. And can you believe that I was actually open to the idea of marriage before this? And I'm not really sure if he...If anything happened when I was-" Kitty noticed the expression on his face and decided to move on with the story. "But anyways, the guy says, 'You don't speak German at all, do you?' And I'm cryin' because I'm so upset and you know how I cry when I get really upset." Kitty sighed.

Logan nodded as he ground his teeth together; He thinking about how much he'd like to rip apart the Prince.

"So the guy opens his mouth like he's going to speak, then shuts it and grabs my hand and leads me to a sitting room. He said, 'I will tell them that you forgot your veil. There's a window right there, I suggest you hurry. There won't be much time but I will stall them.' So, I thank the guy through the tears and booked it as fast as I could. I ditched the glass slippers somewhere along the way and ran all the way to Munich. Everyone looked at me like I was insane, running through the streets, crying, in this ridiculous wedding gown with bloodied feet because I wasn't wearing shoes. Grabbed all my stuff and got on the next flight out of Germany. I haven't been back since for fear that they will behead me and put it on a pike." Kitty finished.

Logan just stared at her in disbelief before saying, "I don't think I have a story to follow that."


	17. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Reading

**The Hobbit: An Unexpected Reading**

"Here you are, ma'am." Malik whispered as he handed something to Kitty. He was quiet as to not wake up Logan, who was snoring lightly in the bed next to her.

She smiled widely and murmured, "Thank you so much. I'm dying of boredom." Kitty took the book and opened it, her eyes craving the words on the pages. Malik left Kitty to her reading, which she had been at for an hour when someone spoke.

"What is that?"

Kitty yelped in surprise and gripped the book in her hands, ready to use as a weapon. Her eyes softened, then became slightly annoyed when she saw it was just Logan. "I thought you were asleep."

"I'm not allowed to wake up?" Logan asked as he sat up in his bed.

"You are," Kitty nodded as she reopened her book. "Just not when I'm reading."

"I thought the doctors said we couldn't have outside things in here." He nodded to her contraband.

"I convinced Malik to sneak me in some Hobbits, Dwarves, and Elves." She held up the cover for him to see. "That way I wouldn't try to escape the bubble."

"Is it good?"

Kitty looked up with surprise. "You've never read 'The Hobbit'?" He shook his head. "Want to?" She held up the book for him, but Logan didn't take it.

"Not much of a reader." He told her.

"Oh." Kitty considered this before asking, "Do you want me to read it out loud?"

"You've already started-"

"It's fine." She assured him. "I've read it over a dozen times now." Kitty flipped back to the first page and smiled up at Logan. "You'll like it." She promised in a sing-song voice.

"Okay." Logan agreed, nodding his head.

"In a hole in the ground lived a Hobbit." Kitty started reading. "Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and a oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: It was a Hobbit hole…"

When a nurse came in to check their vitals, she was not entirely surprised to see that the two patient's beds were pushed together. Logan was laying on his bed so he was facing Kitty, who was still reading from the book. "Uh," The hazmat-suited nurse stopped and pointed to the object in Kitty's hand. "I don't think you're supposed to have that."

Kitty, without breaking eye contact with the nurse, slowly tucked the book behind her pillow and asked, "Not supposed to have what?" Logan looked over at the woman with what he hoped was an innocent expression.

"The book that you've stashed behind your pillow." The nurse pointed a gloved finger at Kitty, who just shook her head.

"I've got no idea what you are talking about." She said, batting her eyelashes.

The nurse rolled her eyes and started to take her vitals. Then, to Logan's annoyance, she insisted on checking on him. As the nurse walked out of the clean room, she glanced over her shoulder and said, "Don't let the doctors see that book."


	18. The Nightmare Before Christmas

**The Nightmare Before Christmas**

Kitty woke up screaming, her hands gripping the bed sheets as she sat up. She struggled to breathe and the monitor hooked up to her heart started whining.

"Kitty?" Logan said sleepily, looking over at her bed next to his. "What's wrong?"

Her head jerked in his direction and Kitty hurried to move away from him, her eyes wide with fright. She ripped the leads off her chest and scrambled to the edge of bed, as far as she could go with her cast.

"Are you okay?" Logan stood up and moved to protect Kitty. His claws slid from his knuckles and he searched the room for an intruder. When he realized there was no one else, he retracted his claws and turned around to face Kitty. Logan walked towards her, holding his hands out to show her that he was unarmed. "Kitty, what's wrong?"

Kitty stared at him, the recognition crossing her face. She closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing as she climbed back on the bed. "Nothing," Kitty gasped. "It's okay, I'm okay." She said to herself as she rubbed her eyes. "Sorry."

"Nightmares?"

Kitty glanced over and saw that Logan was still standing by her bed, looking at her. "Sorry for wakin' you up."

"I wasn't really asleep," Logan lied as he sat back down on his bed. "These beds are too uncomfortable."

"I wanna go home," Kitty pouted, running her hands through her hair. "Where I can sleep in my own bed and shower and then sleep some more."

"I think we both get a shower tomorrow." Logan said, trying to be helpful.

Kitty turned to face him and said, "We're gonna be stripped down by nurses and scrubbed with bristle brushes until our skin feels like it's gonna fall off. I hardly think that counts as a shower."

Logan shrugged. "Sounds like a Thursday night." Kitty couldn't help but laugh, pushing the nightmare from her mind.

"Is everything alright in there?" A nurse called from the observation room. "Your leads seem to have been-"

"Yeah, yeah," Kitty waved her hand dismissively at the window. "I took them off."

There was a pause before the nurse asked, "Would you mind if I fix them?"

"Why do I think that you're going to put them back on even if I say no?" Kitty asked, rubbing her eyes. A nurse threw on a hazmat suit and came into the room to fix the problem.

"I can get the doctor to give you something for you to sleep." The nurse offered as she stuck the leads back on.

"I'm fine." Kitty muttered, her eyes closed.

"Are you sure?" Logan asked. "It'll help."

Kitty's eyes opened and flicked to Logan. "I've slept enough."

The nurse looked at Logan, who shook his head. "I'll let you two get some rest, then." She said before leaving the room.

"So, what was it?"

"What was what?" Kitty asked, sitting up and pulling the blanket around her. She was shaking slightly and fought to keep her eyes down.

"The nightmare." Logan clarified. "What was it?"

"It was just a nightmare." Kitty looked up at Logan, her face blank. "So, why does it matter?"


	19. Weird Science

**Weird Science**

Both Logan and Kitty were led to a white room with drains on the tiled floor. There were four open stalls with dividers between each section and a shower head above. Both sat down on a bench, still clothed, when a very pretty woman in a hazmat suit started checking Logan's vitals.

"Why do you get the hot nurse?" Kitty whined, waving her hand towards the woman.

The edges of Logan's mouth twitched up and he asked, "Do you want to switch nurses?"

A very tall man in a yellow hazmat suit walked up to Kitty to get her vitals. The man was attractive and Kitty smiled as she turned to Logan and said, "Nevermind, I'm good."

Logan looked up at the man and snorted. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah." Kitty nodded and winked at the nurse. She raised her arms up and smiled. "Strip me down, Dr. Sexy."

"Actually, I'm scrubbing him down," The nurse pointed to Logan. "And she's your nurse."

Kitty put her arms down smiled at Logan smugly. "I'll take it."

Logan shook his head as the male nurse led him to a stall. "That's not fair."

"Too bad, so sad." Kitty said. Her nurse put her in the stall next to Logan, who was stripping off his clothes. She took off her shirt while the nurse cut off her pants and started taping a bag over her cast.

"Do you mind me asking what this is?" The nurse asked Kitty, running her finger over a star-shaped scar on her stomach.

"It's from an ice pick." Kitty answered.

"Only one visible scar and it's from an ice pick?" Logan fought very hard to not peak at her to see the wound as the water in his shower flipped on.

"I wouldn't let Evelyn fix it." Kitty said. "She wanted to, but it was a Christmas present from when I was a kid." There was silence as what she said sunk in.

The dividers kept Kitty from seeing anything lower than the middle of Logan's chest, much to her disappointment. The water turned on and Kitty peeked over the divider best she could. "So, I see the comic book wasn't too far off." She noted nonchalantly as her nurse started to scrub her body. "Neither was Hugh Jackman."

Logan looked at her face over the divider and asked, "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Have you seen Hugh Jackman? Hell yeah, it's a compliment." Kitty trilled her tongue as she raised her arms up over her head per the nurse's instruction.

Logan's height gave him the perfect view of her body when his eyes flicked down. "I see that you don't look like your comic." He figured, since she started it, he was allowed to look as well.

Kitty paused. "Is _that_ supposed to be a compliment?" She asked, her voice dangerously low.

Logan's nurse shook his head, trying to warn Logan to be careful. "Well, yeah. It's like you said, your version wasn't realistic at all. You're much more proportionate."

"Oh," Kitty pressed her lips together as her nurse scrubbed her back. "Gee, thanks. That's exactly what I'm going for." She sassed. "Proportionate."

"Well, not like _that_," Logan tried, realising his mistake. "I mean, you look...Nice." His nurse shook his head and made the 'cut' motion across his neck.

"Maybe we should just not talk." Kitty suggested, turning around.

Logan looked down at the nurse, who nodded his head at Kitty's stall. "Well, you said that I look like my comic book version." He tried.

Kitty sighed and started to wash her hair with the shampoo the nurse gave her. "Your version is hot and muscular and actually resembles you." She pointed out, closing her eyes as she washed out the shampoo.

"Your character is sexy." Logan insisted, watching as the water ran down her body in rivulets. She massaged some conditioner in her long hair and he found it hard to take his eyes off her.

"But apparently, I don't look like her." Kitty clipped. There was a tense silence and both nurses had to fight from laughing at their small spat.

He paused before nonchalantly saying, "I see the artist missed your tattoo."

Kitty turned around and glanced up at Logan, who was still watching her. "Why are you looking at my tattoo?"

"I just noticed it, that's all." He shrugged as the nurse handed him some shampoo.

"Oh, you just happened to notice the tattoo on the side of my ribs?" Kitty retorted. "Barely an inch away from my breast?"

"Well, it's quite a distinctive tattoo." Logan said as he worked the shampoo into his hair. "Catches the eyes."

Kitty looked over the barrier at his body, making sure he could see her repeating his actions. "I see you don't have any unit tattoos."

"Been in too many units." He answered as he rinsed out the shampoo.

"Yeah, that's right," Kitty nodded her head as the water shut off. "I keep forgetting that you're old." The nurse gave her a towel and she started drying her hair. "Sarge's unit tattoo is on his ass."

"That does not surprise me." Logan's water shut off as well and he started drying himself off. "Wait," He paused, looking over at her. "How do you know his is on his ass?"

"We haven't had sex, if that's what you're asking." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Although it's not for his lack of trying. We got the tattoos together when he was discharged. I'm just glad my corset protected mine from being burned."

"You think Wilson's is still there?" Logan asked as he wrapped the towel around his lower half and stepped out of the shower. Much to his disappointment, Kitty was already out with a new pair of scrubs on.

"I doubt it." Kitty continued drying her hair with a towel. "And even if it is, I doubt you'd be able to tell that's what it was. His skin is too scarred."

"So, why didn't you get yours on your ass?" Logan changed into the scrubs the nurse gave him.

Kitty looked over at him with a smirk. He wasn't fully dressed yet and she couldn't stop her eyes from flicking up and down his body. "I don't think that's any of your business."

"So, we can look at each other naked but you can't tell me why you decided to get your tattoo on your ribs rather than your ass?" He asked with a bit of a smile.

"Because I didn't want a tattoo artist touching my ass." She said dryly. "Why don't you have a tattoo on your ass?"

"Maybe because I didn't want a tattoo artist touching my ass?" He asked cheekily and Kitty tried to not smile. "What's 'Liberate vi oppressum' mean?"

The nurses led them back to the clean room and Kitty sat on her bed. "It says, 'free the oppressed'."

"Free the oppressed?"

"Well," Kitty laid back on her bed. "I wanted 'Death before dishonor', but seeing that Sarge was just dishonorably discharged," She glanced over at him sitting on his bed and smirked. "We decided on 'free the oppressed'."

"Pretty heroic message for a couple of mercs." Logan commented. He saw her face fall and instantly felt regret for what he said.

Kitty looked back up at the ceiling and whispered, "After I got out of the service, I only took jobs for people who deserved it. Did extensive background checks, I made sure," She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I _had_ to make sure they were as bad if not worse than me before I killed them." She laughed bitterly. "Does that send a heroic message?"

"Is that why you're an Avenger?" Logan asked. "To make up for all the people you've killed?"

"Nothing I do will ever make up for all the people I've killed." Kitty murmured. She turned to look at Logan again. "But I'm going to try my best to keep the heroes alive long enough for them to do some good."


	20. The Girl With The Backstabbing Scars

**The Girl With The Backstabbing Scars**

"Does he have to be here?" Kitty whined as she pulled her top off. She pressed the fabric to her chest, leaving her back exposed.

"This won't take long." Malik promised as he started to peel the dressings off her scorched skin. The burns were dark red surrounded by leathery skin, which was hot to the touch. Malik carefully probed at the irritated skin with his gloved fingers while Logan watched. "Does this hurt?"

"No," Kitty shook her head. "Not really."

"Are you lying?" Logan asked with raised eyebrows. "Because they look painful."

"That's because these," Malik pointed to multiple large red patches. "Are third degree burns. The damage goes beyond the nerves. Could you," He turned back and nodded to a small hand held light on a table. "Bring that over here and hold it?"

Logan held the light over her back so Malik could better examine the skin. "Wait, what's that?" He pointed at over twenty faded marks littering her shoulders and back. They looked tight and smooth, with some appearing almost sunken in.

"I do not know." Malik said slowly, his eyebrows drawn together as he examined her back. "They look like scarred knife wounds-"

"If you don't stop poking at my back," Kitty growled, her eyes flicking to the men. "I will rip off your finger and feed it to your mother."

Malik slowly removed his hand and continued to clean the burns. The room stayed silent and Kitty kept her eyes down. She could feel Logan staring at her, but she refused to meet his eyes. She anxiously tapped her foot, unable to stay still. Eventually, Malik finished wrapping up her burns and left both alone.

"So, I thought Evelyn healed all your scars." Logan said.

Kitty sat cross legged on the bed and pulled the blanket closer. "She just made them less visible. Some were too deep to disappear."

Logan watched her start to braid her hair back out of her face. "So they're stab wounds?"

"Yep."

"They look old."

"Yep."

"There's a lot of them."

"Yep."

"Look pretty fatal."

"Yep."

"How many are there?"

"No idea."

Logan's eyebrows narrowed and he asked, "You don't know how many times you were stabbed?"

"Nope." Kitty took in a short breath. "I was too busy trying to stay alive."

"Never wondered or counted?"

"Nope." Kitty shook her head. "The only time I think of them is when I feel the residual pain."

"Who did it?" Logan asked.

There was silence.

"Was it-"

"Look," Kitty cut him off. "I _really_ don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Okay…" Logan leaned back in an attempt to look casual. "So, Stark and Rogers seem to think you get upset whenever a man yells-"

"Will you please just leave me the fuck alone?" Kitty snapped. "I get that we're trapped here in a bubble, but you don't have to pretend."

Logan actually appeared confused. "Pretend?"

"To care."

"What?"

"Why the fuck do you care about who stabbed me twenty-eight times?" Kitty hissed.

"Thought you said you hadn't counted." Logan said.

"Anyone who had lived through that would have counted." Kitty's voice was tainted with bitterness.

"So," Logan looked Kitty in the eyes. "Who could've gotten the upper hand on you long enough to do that?"

"I repeat," Kitty growled. She sat up on her bed and stared at Logan. "Why. Do. You. Care?"

"I don't." Logan shrugged. "I'm just curious."

Kitty stared at Logan, studying him as if waiting for him to laugh. Finally, she muttered, "...I wasn't expecting it, okay?"

"You're one of the most suspicious people I have ever met," Logan said. "And you weren't expecting to be stabbed?"

"It was my eleventh birthday. I thought," Kitty sighed and looked down at her hands. "I thought that they had gotten one of those cake things that people on TV get and that's why he had the knife…" She suddenly gave a short laugh. "Obviously I wasn't suspicious enough."

Logan stayed quiet for a moment as he considered this. "That's why you don't like your birthday."

"I just don't see the point in celebrating something as trivial as surviving another year." Kitty said quietly.

"So, you had never gotten a birthday cake as a kid?"

"Nope." Kitty shook her head. "Didn't even know it was a real thing before Barton got one for his birthday."

"Wait," Logan held up one of his hands. "You've never had a birthday cake? At all?"

"I had a piece of Barton's cake." Kitty shrugged. "It was decent."


	21. Hallelujah

**Hallelujah **

"Everything looks good," The doctor said distractedly as he looked over Kitty's chart. "We should have you out of here tomorrow."

"Really?" Kitty asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She glanced over at Logan with a wide smile.

"Well, your respiratory system has recovered well from the poison and it did not cause any delay in the healing of your earlier injuries. I don't see why we would need to keep you longer." He signed her chart and smiled. "I already informed your father that you will be ready to leave tomorrow." The doctor said before leaving the room.

Logan leaned over and asked, "Do you think they know that Stark isn't actually your father?"  
"I doubt it," She shrugged. "I mean, he's a lot better than my actual father so I'll take it."

"Yeah, I don't hear a lot about your family." He pointed out.

Kitty paused and looked down at her hands, picking at her nails. "Well, consider yourself lucky then."

"So, how did you know LeRoux's accent was from Louisiana?"

Kitty already had a response planned for whoever asked this particular question. "I was in Special Forces." She reminded him. "We traveled around a bit."

Logan smirked and said, "Did you know that you drop your 'G's' sometimes?"

"What?" Kitty asked, her eyebrows drawn together.

"When you speak and you're really upset or not really awake, sometimes you drop your 'G's' and an accent comes through."

Kitty narrowed her eyes and demanded, "Name one word I do it on."

"Mornin'?"

"Dammit." Kitty sighed, biting her lip. "Betrayed by politeness."

"So you're Southern?"

"Was." She corrected. "I do not live in the South anymore, therefore I am not Southern."

"But the rest of your family is still somewhere down South?"

"Are you writing a book?"

"No," Logan shook his head. "Just curious."

"You ask an awful lot of questions about me when I know virtually nothing about you." She pointed out.

"You know some things." He said defensively.

"Like what?" Kitty asked, tilting her head.

Logan paused, thinking. "...You know that I don't have any unit tattoos."

"You didn't tell me that!" She complained. "I had to stand on my tippy toes on my good foot to look over a barrier to get that tidbit. Mine took effort, you just had to barely glance down to look at me."

"What can I say, I'm lucky." Logan shrugged, a devilish smile on his face. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

Kitty decided to keep it simple. "Where are you from?"

"Up North."

Kitty raised her eyebrows expectantly. "I don't get a specific place?"

"All you said was down South."

Kitty shrugged and said, "Fair 'nuff. Have you ever been back?"

"Not to where I was born, but I did stay up there before being dragged into being an X-Men." He thought back to his conversation with Stark and Rogers and asked, "Have you ever gone back?"

Kitty paused. "No. I've considered going back for Mardi Gras but I never actually... I know I'll have to go back eventually, but honestly? The idea of going to face my parents alone scares the holy hell out of me."

"It's hard to imagine you that scared."

"Are you kidding me?" Kitty asked with raised eyebrows. "My biological parents scare the fuck out of me. I'm a fucking mercenary and I still cower at the mere thought of seeing my parents."

"They're that bad, huh?"

Kitty nodded and bit her lip. "Yeah, Logan," She said softly. "They're that bad."

"You don't have to go back there." Logan pointed out. "You know that, right?"

"I just," Kitty took a deep breath and screwed her eyes shut. "I need to know what I did wrong."

"Kitty…" Logan saw her look up at him. "You were a kid-"

"I had to have done _something_ to deserve it." Kitty insisted. "Why would they be so cruel to their own family?"

"You know, you kick around a puppy too much, it'll start to believe it did something to deserve it."


	22. The Holiday

**The Holiday**

Kitty and Logan were released from the hospital just a few days before Christmas. Kitty was frustrated to learn that Evelyn was called away for a family emergency, meaning she was on crutches until the Healer got back. She had managed to convince the doctors that she could handle the crutches and would not need the wheelchair like suggested. So, with a bit of help, Kitty managed to get upstairs to the family room where she stopped dead in her tracks. The entire room was littered with Christmas decorations, complete with a huge tree taking up residence in the corner of the room with a mountain of brightly wrapped presents underneath.

"Holy shit." Kitty looked up at Tony. "It's like Christmas threw up in here."

"Yeah, Steve went a little overboard with the decorations." Tony admitted with a grin as Kitty used her crutches to enter the room.

"Welcome home!" The group of people in the kitchen screamed in unison and Kitty couldn't help but smile. All of the Avengers were there, including Logan and Peter Parker. Even Deadpool, who was hiding in the corner, was present. He hadn't come to see her since the pain medication altercation in the hospital and Kitty was pretty sure Peter had guilted him into coming.

"Thank you, guys." Kitty said as she gave Steve a one-armed hug. "This means a lot to me."

The party only lasted an hour and a half before Tony interrupted it. "Okay, okay. I'm pretty sure she's tired." Tony reminded the group and Kitty couldn't even argue. She was exhausted from trying to keep up with the competing sounds in the background while trying to concentrate on conversations.

"Yeah," Kitty agreed as the crowd dispersed. "I just need to talk to Deadpool first." Kitty used her crutches to get over to the corner where Deadpool had stood the whole night. "Hey." She said softly.

Deadpool immediately pulled up his mask to his nose, having recognized the difficulty she was having hearing certain sounds. "Heard you were poisoned."

"Me and Logan were, yeah." Kitty nodded.

"Kinky." Deadpool paused before saying, "I'm-"

"I know." She interrupted. "I know why you did it, too."

"You're not mad?" Deadpool asked hopefully.

"A little." She admitted. "But not enough to hold a grudge." Kitty hugged him with one arm, then said, "Oh, by the way, I read those comic books you gave me."

"Really? How'd you like them?"

"I found them creepy as hell." Kitty laughed and tucked a strand of her behind her ear.

"Yeah," Deadpool sighed. "Just wait till you have your own movie."

"Ooh, I think I'd want Charlize Theron or Margot Robbie to play me."

"Charlize Theron is a little too old and definitely too tall. Margot Robbie wouldn't be bad," Deadpool nodded. "But isn't she Harley Quinn?"

Kitty just shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time someone has crossed over into different franchises. Katie Cassidy?"

"Eh, the eyes aren't right. Maybe Natalie Dormer?"

Kitty nodded. "I could see that. Sabrina Carpenter?"

"I got it!" Deadpool revealed. "Emily Browning!"

Kitty's bottom lip quivered. "You think that I'm as pretty as Emily Browning? Awh, Sarge!" Kitty couldn't resist giving Deadpool another hug.


	23. The Bitch That Stole Christmas

**The Bitch That Stole Christmas**

Evelyn still wasn't back by Christmas morning, so Kitty begrudgingly pulled on a pair of cotton shorts, being careful of the cast on her leg. She couldn't help but feel a certain amount of dread for the holiday even though Kitty knew that she should be happy. Her parents weren't here, so it's not like they could ruin it again. Still, she had to force herself to get out of bed, get dressed, and make her way down to the living room with her crutches. She stopped next to the tree and slid the bag on her shoulder off, turned it upside down, and shook the wrapped presents out of it. She then moved to the couch and plopped down on it, already exhausted.

"Morning."

Kitty jumped a little and looked over the side of the couch to see Logan standing in the kitchen, a coffee mug in each of his hands. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I didn't know you were in there."

He walked into the living room and Kitty gently moved her cast-bound leg onto the coffee table so he could sit next to her. Logan handed her one of the mugs and asked, "Still having a hard time with your hearing?"

"Evelyn said she can fix most of it, but I'll still have some problems with low frequency and competing tones, so if there's a lot of background noise, I might not be able to separate the different sounds." Kitty admitted before taking a sip of the drink. She looked down at the mug in surprise, then back up at Logan. "This is cocoa."

He simply said, "It's Christmas."

Kitty took another drink and nodded. "It's pretty good." She leaned her head back on the couch and saw Natasha and Clint wandering into the room. "Psst," Kitty whispered, nodding her head to the stockings near Logan. "Give me Barton's." Logan reached over and unhooked the stocking, passing it over to Kitty with a questioning look. "Hey, Barton!" Kitty called over the back of the couch, holding the stocking out of his sight. When he turned to look at her, she curled her hands into fists with her index finger and thumb still out, making a finger gun. She then jerked her hands towards her body, making the ASL motion for, "Think fast!"

Clint held his hands out in a "What?" motion and Kitty quickly tossed his stocking to him, successfully hitting him in the chest with it. Natasha and Kitty laughed at the shocked look on his face as the stocking slid to the floor.

Bruce wandered into the living room, rubbing his eyes as he made a beeline for the coffee pot. He brought his mug in the living room and sat in one of the arm chairs across from Kitty. He took a sip of coffee then rolled his eyes, frustrated at Logan's presence. "Don't you live _anywhere_ else?" He asked Logan.

He was about to retort something back when Deadpool and Peter Parker barged into the room, presents in their arms.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE OTHER JOLLY MAN IN A RED SUIT!" Deadpool greeted loudly, ignoring the groans. He was wearing a red and white santa hat over the hood of his suit and he pulled up his mask to his nose once he set down the presents.

"Happy Christmas, Sarge." Kitty replied. She figured, maybe if she faked being cheerful and happy, she would eventually feel cheerful and happy. "Hey, little brother."

"Merry Christmas, Lara." Deadpool said.

"Lara?" Kitty asked with raised eyebrows. She looked around at the others for answers.  
"Lara Croft." Deadpool smiled. "Tomb Raider. Sexy, curvy, badass, quite adept with weapons. Just, ya know, a blonde version."

"Lara Croft," Kitty repeated, nodding her head. "Not bad."

"You know, you might be more comfortable fighting people in her outfit." Clint said right before Natasha smacked him.

"You think I'll be more comfortable in tight booty shorts." Kitty asked. "In the middle of winter in New York city."

Clint shrugged. "Just a suggestion."

"Hello, children." Steve beamed, strolling in from the hallway with Tony following close behind. "Merry Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas, dads." Kitty couldn't help but smile up at her not-quite parents, glad that she actually had a family to spend the Holidays with. Tony unhooked the rest of the stockings and passed them around to their respective owners. Kitty unwrapped a candy cane and stuck the one end in her mouth.

"I didn't know you liked peppermint." Deadpool commented as he sat down on the floor near Kitty.

She shrugged. "Makin' it into a shank." Kitty smiled sweetly, the crook of the candy cane still sticking out of the side of her mouth. She took it out and poked her friend with it, then replaced it back in her mouth. Deadpool laughed loudly then started rummaging through his own stocking.

They started dispersing the presents, and soon, Kitty had a large pile of gifts in front of her. She picked out a red box that said it was from Nastasha. Kitty ripped open the paper to reveal two pieces of matte black metal with silver engravings. She took them out of the box and examined them, trying to figure out what they were.

"They're gauntlets, Котенок. They're made from a type of metal that can deflect bullets." Natasha explained as she sat on the floor, a box in her lap. Kitty slid one on her unbandaged arm and had Logan snap the pieces together to secure it.

"Like Wonder Woman!" Kitty smiled, her face lighting up.

Deadpool shook his head and said, "Wrong universe, Vics."

"Anyways, they're perfect." Kitty said as she rotated her arm, checking out the guards.

"There's also a small lever you flip and the engravings," Natasha pointed to the twisted ivy pattern carved into the metal. "Will glow blue."

"Open mine next." Clint requested. "They go with it."

Kitty rummaged through the packages and found Clint's. Inside was a set of rainbow, iridescent knowing knives.

"They slide into the arm guards so you can easily pull them out and throw them." Clint helped show her how to put them into the underside of the guard.

"This is awesome." Kitty ran her finger carefully over the sharp tip of the blades. "I can't wait till I'm healed and I can play with them."

"Oh, great." Tony said with a deadpan face as he watched Kitty with the knife. "More weapons. Just what she needed."

"Just wait till you see what I got Barton." Kitty smiled devilishly, raising her eyebrows as Logan helped her unhook the gauntlet. She watched as Clint unwrapped the present. "They're poison arrows!" She chirped. "The tips have spider venom in them, so when they hit a target, you press a button that you clip to your bow and it releases the venom! That way, if you accidentally hit someone, it doesn't immediately kill them."

"Only you can talk about murder and make it sound happy." Bruce commented as Clint handed him an arrow to inspect.

Kitty reached for another present that said it was from Deadpool. She cautiously opened it, unsure and slightly afraid of what he would give her as a present. Kitty laughed loudly upon seeing the small box. "Band-Aids!" She held up the white and blue box for everyone to see. "Really?"

Deadpool was laughing too hard to speak, his hand grasping at his stomach.

Peter sighed, the sides of his mouth turned up slightly. "It's a gag gift. I told him not to."

"Here," Deadpool produced a shoddily wrapped gift once he stopped laughing. "I fixed your suit. It was in pretty rough shape from Ashley's bomb."

Kitty hugged the familiar material to her chest. "Thank you, Sarge. Speaking of," She pointed to a large box in the corner. "That big box over there? That's yours."

Deadpool shot up and ripped the paper off the box at an inhuman speed. The box said that it was a professional speed sewing machine, a lot nicer than the secondhand one Deadpool had purchased over two years ago. His eyes teared up behind his mask and he rushed over to the couch to hug Kitty before he sat down and opened the box to read about his new present.

Natasha was happy with the enormous box of candies from Russia that Kitty had imported and was munching on a piece almost immediately. Peter had opened up the new camera Kitty had gotten him and was snapping pictures of the group. Steve received a small iPod, a bunch of music she knew he liked already downloaded in. Tony was currently showing him how to work it. She had talked to Bruce earlier and they decided that since he wasn't planning on being here, neither one needed to get the other a present. It was a relief to Kitty, who had no idea what you get your ex for Christmas.

Kitty had gotten Logan a very nice bottle of bourbon. "So you don't have to drink mine." She explained with a smile, knowing full well that he would still take hers.

"Your turn." Logan handed her a red envelope with her name written on it and she recognized the handwriting as Steve's. A pair of plane tickets lay innocently in the envelope, and Kitty immediately knew that the destination was to where her family was. "So you don't have to go alone." Logan told her.

Kitty smiled, but the anxiety hit her hard. She looked down at the tickets and told herself that it was about time to go see them. "Thanks, guys." Kitty tucked the plane tickets back into their sleeve and picked up the last box. This one was small and light, and Kitty couldn't stop herself from shaking it a little.

"That one's from me." Tony told her, watching in amusement as she inspected the box.

"I've got to give you yours in private." Kitty disclosed as she used one of her new knives to slice open the box. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Kitty, who now had a pair of keys hanging from her index finger. "Oh, look. Keys, just what every girl dreams of." She joked.

"They go to a motorcycle down in the garage. I bought it before," Tony guestered to the cast on her leg. "This happened."

"You got me a motorcycle?" Kitty asked, excitement lighting up her face.

"You got her a motorcycle?" Steve's face was most certainly not excited. "Really? That's what you got her?"

"And I was in trouble for knives?" Clint asked, his eyebrows raised. "She's going to die on that thing!"

Bruce looked at Tony and asked, "You're her blood type, right?"

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Kitty gushed, reaching over as much as she could to hug Tony.

"It's a vintage, of course. You can't ride it until you're better, though." Tony warned, hugging her back.

"Now, I gotta give you your present." Kitty stood up (with a little help) and used her crutches to lead Tony back to her room. She retrieved her black backpack that she had in the hospital and began digging around in it. Finally, she produced a sketch pad and started flipping through it. "Here." She handed Tony a piece of paper encased in a sleeve of plastic. "I mean, it's not a motorcycle…"

It was an extremely realistic drawing of Tony that she had started before she was blown up. "This is perfect." He said as he ran his fingers over the plastic. "It looks like a photo."

"You can't tell anyone that I draw, though." Kitty uneasily shifted her weight, still leaning on the crutches.

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna take Steve's thing."

"What?"

Kitty sat down on her bed. "Arts kinda his thing. You and Petey have technology, Deadpool sews, Natasha has dance, Bruce is all smart, and Barton has kids and likes to build furniture, and me," She shrugged. "I kill people. And I didn't wanna take his thing."


	24. Evelyn, MD

**Evelyn, M.D**

Evelyn showed up randomly in the night, passing through the Tower unseen and unheard until she knocked on Kitty's door. It took Kitty, clad only in a pair of shorts and a tank top, an abnormally long time to get up to answer the door, having more pain in her leg than usual. She swung open the door with the intent to tell whoever behind it to piss off, but paused upon seeing Evelyn. The beautiful Healer was wearing an off-white, sleeveless dress that, even on the extremely tall woman, swept across the floor. Around her neck was a collection of gold necklaces and pendants that chimed when she walked. Kitty rubbed the sleep from her eyes and mumbled, "Evelyn?"

"I have come to heal you, child." She said in her perfect, clear voice.

"Oh, okay." Kitty nodded, still half-asleep. Evelyn was the only person who could call Kitty a child without repercussions, even at three in the morning. "Just let me get my crutches."

"I apologize for not being able to heal you until now." Evelyn said as she lead Kitty to her room. "But it seems my sister requires me and I will be unable to work here any longer."

"Oh," Kitty gasped, somewhat out of breath from using the crutches so much. "Is your sister going to be okay?"

Evelyn held open the door to her room, smiling at Kitty. "You never focus on you, always asking and wanting to help others." She ushered Kitty to sit down on the bed before shuffling around to grab various pots and jars. "It is very refreshing. And yes, my sister will be fine as long as I am there to help her."

"Thank you for this." Kitty laid down on the bed, knowing that whatever Evelyn was about to do would probably be painful. "I know you don't have to come here and help, especially if your sister is sick, but it means alot."

Evelyn started laying out the different ingredients and tools on the desk beside her. "Did you know that I originally came here all those months ago as a favor to Charles? I was only to be here for a week, but stayed because I like you very much." Evelyn gently began to unwrap the gauze covering Kitty's arm. "I believe that is why he sent me here. So I would meet you and continue to heal."

Kitty grit her teeth from the pain as Evelyn smeared a white cream on her arm. "You were going to stop healing people? Why?"

Evelyn stopped what she was doing and looked up at Kitty with sad eyes. "I am older than your friend Logan by thousands and thousands of years. Almost half of that time was spent being forced to heal terrible people." She grabbed a leaf from a hat box and placed it over the cream on her arm, then tied a piece of string around it. "I felt there was no good left, no point in fixing those who would go on to hurt more people."

Kitty shook her head, confused. "But I hurt people for a livin', I'm pretty far from good."

"Roll over and pull off your shirt." Evelyn directed and Kitty did as told. "That is all true. But I see regret and sorrow in you that most do not possess." She ran her fingers gently over the burns littering Kitty's back and side, examining them carefully. "In the last few years, you have purposely gone after those who do bad: Child molesters, murderers, rapists. You do not even collect on half of the jobs, do not charge the families."

Kitty felt her pouring something that felt suspiciously like honey all over the burns. "What can I say," Kitty shrugged. "I'm charitable."

"When I came here, you had the gash on your neck." Evelyn recalled, placing more leaves on Kitty's burns. "I told you I could fix it and you were shocked. You had no intent to ask of me to heal it, though you knew I was a healer and possibly a witch."

Although Kitty was on her stomach, she managed to turn to look at Evelyn. "Can you read minds?" She asked in a hushed voice.

Evelyn laughed. "No, child. When you have been on this earth for as long as I have, you learn to read people. You knew I was a witch the moment you saw me." She removed the leaves from Kitty's back and took a damp cloth to begin cleaning the wounds.

"Well, not for sure, I didn't." Kitty mumbled.

"I appreciate your honesty." Evelyn finished removing the thick, honey-like substance and ran her fingers over the now slightly pink scars. "These, like the neck, will fade more. Now turn back over."

Kitty pulled her shirt back on and laid on her back, being careful of the cast. She idly wondered about how Evelyn would remove the cast so she could heal it, then remembered her recent admission of being a witch. "You're not staying through the night are you?"

Evelyn, who was reaching for a long, curved stick, paused. "No, I am not. I am leaving once I heal you."

"You know you don't have to." Kitty informed the Healer as she took the lid off of a very small, red jar. "Heal me, I mean."

"I will always be willing to heal you, as long as I am able." Evelyn assured her as she handed Kitty a stick, about three-fourths an inch in diameter. "Bite on this."

Kitty placed the bite stick in her mouth and laid all the way down to prepare for the pain. She couldn't see what Evelyn was doing, but she heard a loud crack then felt a burning pain deep in her shin bone. It got progressively worse and Kitty was glad that the bite stick muffled her cries of pain. She raised her head off the pillow and saw Evelyn with her eyes closed and her hands plunged deep in the wound in Kitty's shin. It was about this time that she passed out from the pain.

When she woke up, Evelyn was untying the string around her arm and gently unpeeling the leaves off. "Welcome back." She greeted as she ran her fingers over the spot that once lacked a section of skin and muscle, but now looked almost normal. "How do you feel?"

Kitty felt that the bite stick was missing from her mouth, permitting her to speak. "A little bit of pain in my leg, but overall, fan-fucking-tastic." She said cheerfully.

Evelyn couldn't help but smile. "Your hearing should be better. I did what I could with it. You will need to put these," She handed Kitty a stack of oddly shaped leaves. "On your leg covering the wound for exactly three days, held on with this." Evelyn produced more of the thick string before she started to clean and pack up her supplies. "Be careful walking and do not run for a week. After that, you should be fine."

"Thank you so much, Evelyn." Kitty went to stand up but almost fell. "Woah, jelly legs."

Evelyn quickly appeared at her side and helped her up. "It will feel like that for about fifteen hours, which is how long I recommend you sleep tonight."

Kitty hugged the Healer, who looked taken aback for just a moment before hugging her back. "I hope your sister gets better." She said after breaking the hug.

"I do, too." Evelyn said before walking out the door.


	25. Kill Ashley, Vol I

**Kill Ashley, Vol. I**

Kitty Vics crept through the mansion, her gun held up, ready to shoot the moment she saw her target. The large house was obviously abandoned, with most of the furniture and belongings gutted out. The windows were open, blowing cool air through the drafty house, rattling the plastic tarps covering old statues. The mansion was unsettling and Kitty had the feeling like someone was watching her. She continued her search, going through the spacious dining room and down a hallway on her right. Kitty saw Ashley LeRoux with his back leaning casually on a wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hello, Dahlia."

Kitty pulled out one of the throwing knives from her arm guard and threw it, watching as it soared through the air and landed in the wall where Ashley's head was. She trained her gun on him but hesitated on pulling the trigger, knowing the probability of a bullet actually hitting him was slim. Ashley disappeared and showed up right in front of her, knocking the gun out of her grasp. Her left hand was already on the handle of her sword as she roughly pushed Ashley against the wall, drawing the weapon.

"Why?!" Kitty screamed, the blade flush against Ashley Sinclare LeRoux's tanned throat. "Why are you torturing the Avengers?!"

Ashley gave a short laugh. "You think this is about them? About the Avengers?" He smirked and said, "Oh, my dear Dahlia, how very wrong you are."

"What the fuck is it then?" Kitty demanded, gripping the handle on her blade tighter. "You just get off on poisoning people and blowing them up?"

"It's you." The villain said simply. "It's always been you." He studied her face carefully. "Did you know that some Mutants can...Sense...Extraordinary humans? Haven't you ever wondered why everyone around you likes you? Is drawn to you?"  
Kitty's mind immediately flew to Thor, then her birth parents, and she couldn't help but scoff. "There's a lot of people who don't like me."

"Most humans do. Even Mutants. They either can't stand to be anywhere near you or they can't possibly stay away. You are irresistible." He sighed loudly, closing his eyes before disappearing.

Kitty looked around wildly before spotting him across the room.

"It's annoyin', honestly. So, how could I resist invitin' you to join me?" Ashley asked. "Havin' a Siren with the power of influence? You don't even know how powerful you could be. Hell, you could probably make someone think they were burnin' in a fire while sittin' safely on the floor."

"Did you lick lead paint as a child?" Kitty asked in faux-concern as they sidestepped around each other in a circle.

"You've never even considered that you weren't ordinary." Ashley shook his head in disappointment. "But tell me: How does one get into Special Forces at the age of eighteen? Isn't that a little young to be a mercenary, even for our military? I'll bet you just touched their arms and they never questioned anythin' you had to say. Or maybe it's about the pain." He smiled softly. "You touch them, make them feel the worst pain imaginable, make them want to die. I'll bet that came in handy interrogatin' folks."

Kitty lunged forward, jabbing her sword at him. He swiftly kicked the blade out of her hands. Kitty gave a yelp of pain before decking him with her right hand. She (unsuccessfully) tried to block a punch to her face, wincing as one of the rings on Ashley's hand cut her forehead. He grabbed her arm and yanked it forward, popping it out of the socket. She cried out before kicking him in kneecap with all of her strength. Ashley collapsed onto his knees, looking up at Kitty with wide eyes.

"Go." Kitty said. When he paused, she yelled, "Go! Get the fuck out of here. They're going to be here soon."

Ashley blinked up at her in shock before disappearing.

Steve and Clint ran into the room and saw Kitty cradling her arm.

"He got away."


	26. Taking Lives

**Taking Lives**

Kitty Vics had closen to do the first patrol since the bombing on her own. Tony had offered to go with her, but she told him she needed time to think; And she did. She thought about Ashley and how infuriating she found him. Why would she just let him go? Kitty tried to think of an explanation, but she was irritated at her inability to produce one. She was even more frustrated at the lack of crime that night. How could New York be so calm? She needed someone to let out her aggression with. Someone to beat out her inner turmoil on.

Kitty walked to an abandoned alley and leaned her back on the stone. She closed her eyes and took out the ponytail holder before working the braid out with her finger. Her hair fell down her back in long waves and she felt slightly better without the tension on her scalp. She tried taking deep breaths to soothe herself, but warning bells were ringing through her mind.

She whipped her head around just in time to miss the shot. She put her arm out in defense before using her other hand to hit his face. Ashley LeRoux roughly grabbed her face and Kitty thought he was going to snap her neck. He crushed his lips to hers and Kitty found that she couldn't stop herself from reciprocating the kiss. Her arms laced around his neck as their kiss deepened.

After several long moments, Kitty's eyes flew open. "Wait, what the-"

"I know you feel it, too," Ashley murmured, his breath hot on her neck. "I know you want this just as bad as me."

"No," Kitty stepped back and ran her hand through her hair. "No, no. You tried to kill me, you jackass!" A tear escaped from her eye and she pushed his chest back in frustration. "You tried to kill me!"

Ashley pressed his body to her, pinning her against the wall. He softly caressed her face, both of their breathing still ragged from the kiss. "Do you have any _idea_ what I want to do to you right now?"

Kitty kissed him again and she saw a whirl of colors before he pulled her onto a bed. She broke away from the kiss to see that they were in a spacious room with bright light streaming in through the open window. The room smelled of the beach rather than a New York street. "Wait," She put her hand on his shoulder and glanced around. "Where the hell are we?"

"France." He answered breathlessly as he shucked off his suit jacket before he started to kiss her again. Kitty began unbuttoning the front of his blue dress shirt and ran her hands over his tanned, toned chest. She felt his hand creep up her thigh and Kitty quickly drew her gun and pressed the tip of the barrel over his heart. Ashley backed off of her, his hands held up. "Now hold on, cher. I was only followin' your lead."

"The bomb was a trap." She pointed out, not removing the gun from his skin. "How do I know you won't wait until I'm defenseless and vulnerable, then try to kill me?"

"I guess," Ashley took his finger and gently pushed the barrel away. "You'll just have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Kitty asked incredulously. "And why the _hell_ should I trust you?"

"How do I know you won't just kill me when I'm vulnerable?" Ashley smiled. "It works both ways, sweetheart."

Kitty stared him in the eyes before putting the gun on the nightstand closest to her. Without breaking eye contact, she removed her sword and gauntlets, setting them with the gun.

"We'll go back to killin' each other tomorrow." Ashley assured her. He kissed her again before muttering, "Tomorrow afternoon. Let's not be hasty."

"Yeah," Kitty breathed as she unclipped her thigh holster and threw it across the room. "Tomorrow afternoon." He unzipped her corset as she kissed him, their bodies melding together...

Kitty woke up on silky white sheets, her body pressed to Ashley's warm skin. She raised her head and saw that Ashley's face was calm in sleep. _The jackass almost looks sweet_, she thought as she looked at him. Kitty watched him sleep for a while, finding comfort in the way his chest would rise and fall as he took in breaths. He snored softly and Kitty thought it was entertaining. It occurred to her that she could easily kill him while he was sleeping; Something painless as to not disrupt the serenity of the atmosphere. But then she really thought about it; and I mean really, really thought about it, and decided against it.

She looked over her shoulder and saw that there was a small platter of fruits and cheeses. Typical. Kitty edged herself so she could reach the food. She ate about half the platter, which surprised her since she didn't feel that hungry.

Kitty reached over and brushed a strand of his dirty blond hair off his face. He stirred and threw his arm over Kitty and pulled her closer. She just sat there, watching him with sad eyes.

When the sun shifted its position and the light drifting into the room dimmed, she sighed softly. Kitty gently lifted his arm off her, holding her breath as she did. When his arm was cleared, she worked on untangling their legs. He groaned and pressed his face into her shoulder. Kitty thought he was still asleep until she felt him kiss her shoulder.

"Ashley." Kitty whispered as he continued lazily kissing up her neck. "Ashley, I've got to go."

"Whatever happened…To...Tomorrow afternoon?" He asked, brushing some of her hair off her face so he could kiss her cheek.

"It is the afternoon." She said gently. Kitty raised her hand to his face and ran her thumb over his cheek bone.

"Just a bit longer." He pled, staring her in the eyes. "Until tomorrow mornin'." Ashley kissed her on the lips again and he felt her sigh.

"We're not staying in bed all day." Kitty tried to get up but Ashley wrapped his arms around her so she couldn't.

"Well, why the hell not?" He asked, pulling her closer.

"Because," Kitty flipped their positions so she was over him with her arms on each side of his head. She took his bottom lip between her teeth, making Ashley moan. His eyes slid shut and Kitty smiled. "It's not productive." She whispered in his ear.

"It could be." Ashley ran his hand over her bare back before moving her onto her back so he could kiss down her chest. "We should go for round four. Three is an uneven number," Kitty's eyes closed as Ashley continued his ministrations. "Don't want bad luck."

"One more time," Kitty pushed his face up with her index finger and kissed him again. "Then I'll have to go."

"Come work with me." Ashley's breath was hot on her throat as he looked at her through his eyelashes. "Then you wouldn't ever have to leave."

Kitty blinked rapidly before she sat up and pushed Ashley off her. She moved to the edge of the bed and ran her hands over her face. He started kissing her shoulder blades, obviously not realizing that he said something wrong. "Stop, Ashley."  
Ashley paused before he moved beside her so he could see Kitty's face. "Guessin' that's a no…"

She reached down and started to retrieve her clothing. When she had on her underwear and bra, she got off the bed. "Is that why you slept with me?" Kitty demanded as she stepped into her suit and zipped it up. "To get me to work with you?"

Ashley's eyebrows drew together and he shook his head. "No, that's not-"

"Then why?" She slid her feet into her boots and threw on her corset. "Why sleep with someone you tried to kill multiple times?"

"Are you actually lookin' for an answer," He watched her hook the thigh holster on and replace her gun and sword. "Or is everythin' I say from this point on wrong?"

Kitty closed her eyes and laughed quietly. "I can't believe I fucking fell for it. Oldest trick in the fucking book. I fucking _wrote_ that chapter." She picked up her gauntlets and clipped them on before pausing. She drew her gun and looked him in the eyes before coldly saying, "Give me my knife before I shoot you."

He looked resigned as he pulled the comforter over his lap, having realized that their time together was officially over.

"Give me the knife, Ashley." Kitty growled.

Ashley took a deep breath and nodded his head to the corner of the room. "You threw it over there last night."

Kitty's eyes flicked to the corner to see that he was right; Her knife was sticking out of the wall. She vaguely remembered throwing something over there in the rush to take off each other's clothing. She look a deep breath and holstered her gun. "I'm-"

"Don't." Ashley said softly. "I was just as worried you'd do the same to me last night."

"Then why?" Kitty sat down next to him on the bed. "Why show up in that alley and bring me here? To _France_?"

"I didn't think you'd like my place in Louisiana."

Kitty blinked several times, obviously taken aback. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I know you hadn't been back there in some time." Ashley looked her in the eyes. "I have a lot of money. Money buys information." He paused. "Like the kind found in hospital records."

"You already knew what 'Kitty' was short for." She bit her lip. "You knew I lied."

"I pieced everythin' together. All of the medical records, child protective service paperwork, police reports." Ashley moved to look at her better, since her eyes were focused on the floor. "I know everythin' 'bout you."

Kitty's eyes flashed and she looked furious. "How fucking _dare_ you!" She stood up, obviously shocking Ashley. "Who gave you the goddamn right to look into my past?"

"I thought you would like someone knowin'..." Ashley's eyebrows knit together. "Someone you could talk to bout it."

"Take me back to New York, Ashley." Kitty said quietly.

"Come on, cher-"

"Fine." Kitty picked up the knife and slid it into her gauntlet. "I'll take a flight."

"You don't have a passport." Ashley reminded her as he stood up and grabbed his underwear. "I'll take you home. Just let me get dressed." He buttoned up his pants and slipped on a shirt, his eyes cast downwards the entire time. He walked up to Kitty and finally met her eyes. "I'm sorry for everythin'."

"You don't have to be a villain." She whispered, her voice thick. "You could stop. If you disappear, I'll make sure the Avengers won't come for you-"

Ashley gently wiped away a tear from Kitty's cheek. "You don't have to be a hero."

"I'm not a hero." Kitty smiled slightly.

"But I'll always be a villain." Ashley pulled her face to his and kissed her, bringing her back to the New York street. "Until next time, cher." Ashley said before disappearing.

Kitty sighed as she hailed a cab to take her back to the Tower. She strolled through the lobby to the elevators and pressed the button marked 'Three'. Kitty numbly walked into the kitchen, only to stop at the gathering of people. Tony, Steve, Logan, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha were scattered around the room. A holographic map of New York took up the entire dining room table, with colored lines criss-crossing the streets.

"Kitty." Tony sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You're okay."

Bruce stood up from the table in frustration, his eyes locked on Kitty. "Where the hell have you been?"

"What?" Kitty asked defensively. "It's not like this is the first time I've disappeared for a night."

"You've been gone three days." Natasha told her with a straight face.

"Really? Three?" Kitty shrugged and started towards the kitchen. "Guess that explains why I'm so hungry. Who wants pancakes?"

"Are you not going to tell us where you were?" Clint asked suspiciously as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kitty narrowed her eyes in suspicion and shifted her weight to her left foot. "Why're you so concerned?"

"Well, after what happened with Ashley…" Steve's voice trailed off.

Kitty tried to keep her face straight, but the memories from last night popped into her head. "What about him?"

"Uh," Clint looked at her like she had a screw loose. "He blew you up?"

"And poisoned both of us." Logan reminded her.

"Well, I'm obviously fine." Kitty said.

"Where the hell were you then?"

"I met a supermodel at a bar," Kitty lied seamlessly. "Went home with her. Lost track of time."

"Why didn't you answer your phone? Or text me?" Tony asked.

"What part of _supermodel_ didn't you hear?" Kitty walked into the kitchen and grabbed a green apple. "Besides, I didn't know I needed your permission to disappear for a night."

"Three." Logan reminded her.

"Or even a week!" Kitty argued. "It's none of y'alls damn business what the fuck I do with my life!" She took a bite of the apple as she strolled out of the room.

* * *

The elevator in the living room dinged and Kitty glanced over to see who it was. Logan was covered in an obscene amount of blood, almost completely drenched. He staggered him, tired and slow.

"Oh, god," Kitty ran over to him and started pressing her hand to the large wound on his chest. "Logan, what the hell happened?"

"LeRoux." He sat down in a chair and Kitty quickly damped a washcloth to clean off the blood.

"Ashley?" Kitty asked, her eyebrows drawn together. She grabbed one of Logan's hands and gently started cleaning off his knuckles. "Ashley did this?"

"You sound surprised."

Kitty paused, her eyes still focused on Logan's wounds. "Did you kill him?" She asked quietly.

"No." Logan watched as she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "He kept disappearing."

"Well, I hope he looks worse than you do." Kitty set down his hand so she could clean the other one.

"Do you?"

Kitty's head shot up at the same words Ashley had once said to her. "Do I what?"

"Hope he looks worse than me."

"Of course I do.


	27. American Idiot

**American Idiot**

"_Black bandana, sweet Louisiana. Robbin' on a bank in the state of Indiana. She's a runner, rebel, and a stunner_-" Kitty turned around to grab a spatula when she saw a figure leaning against the wall, watching her make breakfast. She quickly drew a knife before realising it was just Bruce Banner.

"Fuck." Kitty plucked out her earbuds and paused the music before putting down the knife. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on people?" She crossed her arms over the front of her white tank top, waiting for an explanation.

Bruce, who had thrown his hands up when she pulled the knife out, said, "I tried to, but you didn't hear me."

She sighed and turned around to open the fridge. "I thought everyone was gone for the day." Kitty set a carton of eggs on the table and got out a bowl.

"I did too," Bruce said, walking into the kitchen. "Until I heard you from down the hall."

Kitty's pale cheeks blushed pink and she bit her lip as she looked up at him. "Sorry 'bout that."

Bruce shook his head and quickly assured her, "No, no. It wasn't bad, just unexpected. I'd never heard you sing before."

Kitty turned back around and started to gently crack the eggs. "That would be because I do not sing in front of people. Want some?" She nodded down to the bowl.

"Sure." Bruce leaned back on the wall and watched as she got out a frying pan. "So, what are you doing today?"

Kitty poured the eggs into the pan and pushed them around with the spatula while Bruce got them plates. "Workin' out in the garage. I've got to check out something on my bike, then I'm trying to restore a car."

Bruce raised eyebrows and asked, "You're a mechanic?" He got out bread and butter for toast while she finished the eggs.

Kitty scraped off some of the scrambled eggs onto her plate, then the rest on his as he set down the toast. Both took their plates to the table and sat across from each other.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Mr. Banner." She took a bite of toast and swallowed before saying, "One of my friends taught me some things when he found out that I liked vintage cars."

"Ah." Bruce nodded slowly. "I'll bet he's proud that you're rebuilding a car."

"Wouldn't know." Kitty shrugged and took a bite of eggs. "Dominick was killed just before I got out of the military."

"Oh." Bruce blinked rapidly, unsure of a response to that. "Is that why you left?"

Kitty looked down. "I found that I would no longer be able to take orders from people who viewed us as expendable."

Within the hour, Kitty was on the ground of the garage, looking up at the bike. She set up music to play in the background, uncomfortable with silence.

"Can you turn the song up?"

"Yeah." Bruce obliged and listened to the guitar riffs. "Wait, what is this?"

"Pussy Liquor. Rob Zombie."

"Oh okay." Bruce was watching Kitty was fascination as she bent one of her legs and crawled further under the motorcycle, studying the machine.

"Pretty sexy, huh?"

"What?" Bruce asked quickly.

"The song?" Kitty said as if he was stupid. "_I like to get fucked up_." She sang.

"_I like to get fucked up, too_." The song responded.

"_Yeah, I bet you do._" Kitty finished. She hummed along for a minute before asking, "Hey, can you hand me some pliers? There should be some over there." A pale hand appeared from under the bike, pointing to a spot on his left.

"Yeah," Bruce said as he retrieved the pliers and handed them to her. "Why do you need them?"

Kitty took the pliers and used them to violently rip something out. She gave him back the tool and worked her way out from under the bike. She stood up, throwing the small device on the ground before she brought her boot down and smashed it into pieces. "There we go." Kitty looked up at Bruce and smiled innocently as she collected the pieces to throw away.

Bruce raised his eyebrows and pointed at the broken device. "What was that?"

Kitty shrugged and tightened the band around her ponytail. "Just something that doesn't need to be there." She walked to the other end of the garage, with Bruce trailing her like a puppy. "Help me out?" She nodded down to the grey canvas covering a car. They removed the cover to reveal a dusty red and black car. Kitty smiled brightly and ran her hand over the hood. "Bruce, meet April."

"April?" Bruce asked with a small smile as he watched Kitty pop up the hood.

"Yeah, she needs a little work." Kitty admitted. "I got it off a guy who had no idea how beautiful she could be. She's still got her original engine and everything, but I'll need to replace the brake pads, some cables-" She looked up and saw that Bruce was obviously lost. "Sorry, I usually work with Tony, I forgot that you don't-"

"Yeah, you lost me at original engine."

"Oh." Kitty said as she grabbed a car creeper and a couple spare rags. "Do you know what kind of car this is?" Bruce shook his head and Kitty couldn't help but smile. "1970 LS6 Chevelle." Bruce still looked lost. "70's American muscle."

"Ahh." Bruce nodded, still not quite getting why she was so excited. He decided that it didn't matter because he thought she was adorable when she was excited. He watched as Kitty set up the jack and pumped it so the car was off the ground. She laid down on the creeper and slid under the car until just her legs where showing.

"Ugh, can you skip the song, please?" Kitty asked from under the car.

"You don't like 'No Doubt'?" Bruce asked as he changed the song. A classic rock song came on, a noticeable change from the pop band.

"Not particularly, no." Kitty got out a small flashlight and clicked it on.

"Then why have it on your iPod if you don't like it?"

Kitty simply said, "One of my ex girlfriends put it on there."

"Oh." Bruce tapped the toe of his shoe on the ground, trying to think of something to say. "So, what are you doing now?"

Kitty smiled under the car and answered, "Checking under the engine. Making sure nothing is cracked or leaking, since April's previous owner weren't very careful with her." She stuck the flashlight in her mouth so she could use both of her hands.

Soon, she rolled out from under the car and asked, "Can you hand me the brake pads?"

"Uhh…" Bruce's eyes widened and Kitty looked up at him.

"The sorta kidney shaped black-grey things over there."

"Oh, okay." Bruce nodded and retrieved the brake pads for her to change out. He noticed there was a tiny smudge of grease on her cheek and her hands had splotches of black oil on them. He could see that she was silently mouthing along the lyrics to the song playing. "You can sing out loud. I don't mind."

"It's just hard to not sing along with Green Day." Kitty said. "Makes you want to go out and start a revolution. Ya know, burn down the city."

"Please don't burn down the city."

Kitty laughed loudly, her mouth curling up into a wide smile as she stood up to face him. "Come on, you can't say you've never thought of starting a riot."

Bruce found her smile to be contagious as he felt one spreading across his face. "I can honestly say I've never wanted to start a riot."

"Hmm." Kitty pressed her lips together and pretended to be thinking. "Must just be me." Bruce followed her to the other side of the car so she could work on those brakes. "Can you hand me another rag?"

Bruce nodded, his hand lingering after she took the towel and inadvertently touched his hand. "Why don't you sing in front of people?"

Kitty shrugged. "I just don't like to."

"Is there an actual reason?" Bruce asked.

"Nah," Kitty shook her head. "Just not something I like to do outside of the shower."

"So, are you seeing anyone?"

Kitty, who was still partially under the car, paused. _Does Ashley count? _"No, I'm not."

"Do you, maybe, want to go out tonight? With me?"

Kitty pressed her lips together and rolled herself out from under the car so she could look up at him. "Bruce, I don't think that's a very good idea."


	28. Naked and Afraid

**Naked and Afraid**

Kitty strolled through her small living room, Steve Rogers right on her tail. "I'm just sayin', maybe he shouldn't've been puttin' his dick where it didn't belong-" Her judgemental comment was cut off when she opened her bedroom door. Ashley LeRoux was butt-ass naked on her bed in the 'draw me like one of your French girls' pose, a smile plastered on his face.

"Hello there-"

Kitty yelped and quickly shut the door.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked with concern.

Kitty pressed her back to the door and said, "Oh, uh, my dirty laundry is on the floor. I, uh, don't want you to see my underwear-"

"Kitty," Steve sighed. "You know that I don't care."

"Uh, okay, I'll, uh," Kitty's eyes darted to the bedroom and she raised her voice. "I'LL JUST OPEN THE DOOR NOW."

Steve looked around. "...Okay?"

Kitty held her breath as she eased the door open. She let it out in relief when she saw that there was no Naked Ashley in her bed. For now.


	29. Bed of Roses

**I Want To Lay You Down In A Bed Of Roses, For Tonight I Sleep On A Bed of Nails**

"So," Clint leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why do they always put you and Steve together?"

"It's the military thing," Kitty shrugged as she wiped down Valhalla before putting it in its sheath. "We work well together."

* * *

Kitty felt like she had been hit by a truck. Scratch that, a Final Destination truck. Although her eyes were closed, she could tell she was somewhere dark, somewhere that smelled like lavender mixed with bleach. Her nose wrinkled slightly, causing sparks of pain to ripple through her face. A painful moan slipped from her busted lip and she heard someone chuckle softly. In the background, she heard a familiar guitar riff and after listening intently, she recognized it as the Guns N' Roses song 'You Could Be Mine'. Weird. That definitely wasn't a song on Bruce's iPod. And now that she was thinking about it, this didn't really seem like the med bay. She was on a soft bed rather than the hard surgery table that Bruce would have put her on. Odd.

There was a tugging sensation on her stomach and Kitty groaned. It felt as if someone was repeatedly stabbing her with tiny needles. She tried to get up, only for a large hand to gently push her back down.

"No, no, don't move darlin'."

Kitty fought to raise her arms, but he still wouldn't let her up.

"Now, cher, I gotta finish stitchin' these up, but I can't do that if you're fightin' me."

"Mmmmkay." Kitty felt herself drift back off just as the song changed over to "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera.

* * *

Pepper walked into the Tower's lobby and went straight to her desk to start the day. The sun was just starting to shine through the windows, lighting up the lobby with an orange hue. She put her purse under her desk and fished her phone out of her blazer.

"_Have a gr8 day work bby, luv u_"

Pepper smiled at Happy's text before she set her phone down and opened up her agenda for the day:

9AM: A tour she would have to supervise

1PM: Lunch with some investors for her foundation

3PM: Tony asked her to-

Her pen stopped when she heard a pitiful moaning sound in the corner of the room. Pepper looked over to see a figure, clad in black and covered in blood, sprawled out on the floor. In her outstretched hand was a bright red dahlia with a pack of matches tied to the stem. A white piece of paper was taped to her corset with the words, "_I fixed her the best I could."_

"JARVIS!" Pepper rushed over to Kitty, who was still borderline unconscious. "JARVIS, get Tony and Bruce down here, now!"

"_Yes, Mrs. Potts." _

"Kitty," Pepper gently touched her shoulder to try to wake her up. "Kitty, can you hear me?"

"Mmm…"

Pepper looked over her shoulder to see Bruce running out of the hallway. "I can't tell how bad she's hurt."

Bruce kneeled down and pressed his fingers to Kitty's neck.

"I'mstillalive," Kitty breathed. "Asshole."

Pepper smiled and asked, "Do you think you can move?"

Kitty's eyes were still closed when she complained, "He just said I can't."

"Who said?" Bruce asked as he started checking over her body. There were several deep cuts and lacerations on her chest, stomach, and knuckles, all expertly sewn up and bandaged. He checked her pulse and frowned; She'll definitely need blood soon. Very soon.

"The man." Kitty smiled and opened her eyes to see Bruce and Pepper looking at her with concern. "The man that saved me."

Tony came running out of the elevator, his face worried and anxious. "Where'd you find her?" He demanded as he knelt down by Kitty, who had passed out again.

"She was just laying here." Pepper held up the note that was taped to Kitty. "With this and a flower."

Bruce and Tony looked at each other and both said, "LeRoux."

"That man that blew her up?"

"Uh huh."

Pepper watched Tony carefully scoop Kitty up in his arms, bridal style.

"You got her?" Bruce asked. He didn't really trust Tony to not drop her, but he definitely wasn't going to say that.

"I'm fine," Tony huffed, readjusting his grip so her head was more supported. "Let's get her to the med bay."

"Have you eaten?" Bruce asked as they gathered in the elevator.

"Yeah, I ate." Tony lied as the elevator took them up. He stepped out and carried Kitty into the medical quarters. Pepper retrieved a gown and both men turned around as she stripped the unconscious Kitty of her suit.

"She needs blood and if you're lying, I can't get it from you." Bruce said pointedly.

"No, I've been working in the lab." Tony admitted. "I'll grab something as soon as we get her vitals. I'll have to call Steve, too, he and Deadpool have been out all night looking for her."

"Okay, she's got the gown on." Pepper called the men over and they started hooking her up to the machines.

"How's Rogers?" Bruce asked distractedly. "Even though she'll be fine after we give her some blood, I doubt he'll take it well."

"Hasn't slept, of course, and everytime I call him, he says that he's still looking."

Pepper asked, "Do you want me to call him?"

"No, I'll do it. But she'll be okay?" Tony worried.

"She'll only need a little bit of blood, but since she's borderline anemic, it'll be faster to give her yours than waiting for her to-"

"Go eat, got it." Tony rubbed his forehead and took out his phone.

"Something with sugar!" Bruce called after Tony.

He stepped out into the elevator and dialed Steve. "We found her."

_"Is she_-"

"She's okay." Tony said quickly. He walked into the kitchen and hunted down a container of peanut butter and some bread. "She was at Tower." He hastily spread the peanut butter on the bread and folded it in half.

"_But we checked-_"

"Someone fixed her up and left her on the doorstep." Tony took a bite of the sandwich. "Banner's looking her over, but she'll be up and arguing with us in no time."

"_What do you mean, someone fixed her up?_"

Tony paused. "I'll tell you when you get back. You'll probably have to bring Deadpool back here, too." He hung up and finished the sandwich, then poured himself a cup of apple juice and drank it before returning to the med bay. He had hoped Kitty would be awake by then, but she was still unconscious. "Did you give her something?" He nodded to her.

Bruce shook his head. "Low dose pain medication, but nothing to keep her asleep."

"Is it safe for me to go back out front?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah." Tony sat down and flopped his arm on the arm of the chair as Bruce prepared for the donation. "Steve and Deadpool should be in soon, send them up here."

She had turned around when Tony called out, "Put the Tower on level two lockdown, please."

Pepper nodded and walked away.

"JARVIS, pull up the security footage from last night on screen five." Tony tried to keep his attention off the tube in his arm. "Keep it to between 9PM and 8AM, first floor reception only."

"_Yes, Mr. Stark_." One of the screens in the med bay flickered on. The screen was split between the street in front of the Tower and a wide shot of the reception desk.

Bruce slid the needle out of Tony's vein and pressed a cotton ball to his arm before taping it down. He carefully took the blood over to Kitty and started doing his doctorate-certified duties.

"Okay, JARVIS, you can speed it up just a little bit...There!" Tony said triumphantly. "Now, back it up just a few seconds."

A figure (whose face was covered entirely) randomly appeared in the Tower, holding Kitty's seemingly lifeless body. He set her down, note and flower in place, and disappeared as swiftly as he arrived. The entire ordeal lasted two frames.

"Definitely LeRoux." Tony confirmed with a sigh.

"LeRoux?" A voice asked from the doorway. Steve and Deadpool walked in, both tired and unimpressed.

"He left a note saying he fixed her as well as he could. He actually did a decent job." Bruce couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. "All I've got to do is put some more blood and plasma in her."

"Is he the fucking one that did this?" Deadpool ground his teeth together and he ripped his mask off his scarred face.

"No," Steve shook his head. "LeRoux wasn't anywhere near us. The man came up behind her and stabbed her through her armor. I turned when I heard her cry and she disappeared instantly. The man that stabbed her had the knife in his head."

Deadpool nodded in a way that said, "Not bad."

"This was the footage from this morning, around 6AM." Tony started the footage.

"That's how it looked when she disappeared." Steve confirmed. "Why would he do this?"

"Maybe its the Joker-Batman theory." Bruce received a bunch of confused and puzzled looks. "Hard to be a bad guy if there's no good guys to fight."


	30. Whatever Happened To Luke Giles?

**Whatever Happened To Luke Giles?**

"Here is your badge, Dr. Banner." The security guard handed him a plastic-protected paper with his name on it along with the words 'access level, 2'.

"Thank you." Bruce pinned it to his shirt and waited patiently for the guard to buzz the door. After a minute, the door swung open and he stepped through before it shut again. He was patted down to check for weapons (for the third time) and only then was he allowed through the last set of doors. Sitting in a padded room, about ten feet from front to back and only eight feet wide, was a single chair, bolted to the ground. Handcuffs were attached to both the chair and the floor, as well as leg chains for his ankles. The chair faced the only wall left uncovered, a large clear glass pane for observing the patients. Bruce was led into the observatory and heard the heavy clink of the door's locks snapping together. He looked into the room at the patient.

Luke's hair had streaks of brown ink through it, a failed attempt to hide his blond roots. His skin was pale from being indoors and his eyes had a crazed look as they watched Bruce Banner.

"Hello, Luke." Bruce said as he approached the glass barrier.

"Dr. Banner!" Luke smiled and seemed ecstatic as he tried to wave. His handcuffs clanked loudly.

Bruce took note of the scratch marks on Luke's wrists. "How are they treating you?"

Luke's young face soured with paranoia. "They're all idiots. They're not like us." Bruce hummed noncommittally, encouraging Luke. "Have you gotten my letters?"

"Yes," Bruce looked down. "I was out of the country for over a year, though, and wasn't able to respond."

"It's okay." Luke smiled unnervingly. "You're here now." He paused and his eyes flicked around. "Is that woman here with us?"

"No." Bruce admitted. "Kitty and I aren't together anymore."

Luke snorted in disgust. "She's dumb. She didn't deserve you anyways."

"She isn't dumb." Bruce said darkly. "I was. I lost her."

"She didn't deserve you!" Luke insisted as he leaned closer to the glass. "She had the heart of the greatest mind ever and she wasted it!"

"Kitty's smarter than you realize. She's brilliant."

"I should have killed her when I had the chance." Luke hissed, his eyes widening even more, giving him a more manic appearance.

"She wouldn't have given you the chance."

"Yeah?" Luke sneered. "How smart can she be?"

"She figured out it was you long before I did." Bruce took a deep breath. "And I was too stupid to listen." Bruce saw Luke's body flush green with anger. Bruce turned and walked out of the room, leaving the sounds of Luke's screaming and the handcuffs rattling.

Waiting outside for Bruce was a doctor in white scrubs. Her red hair was braided back out of her face, which looked entertained. "So, what do you think?"

Bruce started walking down the hallway, making the doctor follow him. "I'm not a psychiatrist or a psychologist."

"Humor me." The doctor smiled.

Bruce turned around abruptly, almost causing the doctor to run into him. "I think he's an erotomanic with paranoid delusions. He's got an extremely high IQ and is probably the smartest person in this entire place and I don't think he should ever be released."

The doctor nodded and used her keycard to open the door for Bruce. "A sentiment all of us share."


	31. Kill Ashley, Vol II

**Kill Ashley, Vol. II**

Kitty tangled her hands in Ashley's hair and kissed him. "Why'd you save me?" She murmured.

Without breaking from the kiss, Ashley said, "Bored." She laughed as they rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

"Well, ain't that a shame." Ashley purred. He pulled one of the blankets off the bed and wrapped it around their naked bodies. "Perfectly good bed and we gotta be on the floor."

"I don't think we have to," Kitty moaned as Ashley nipped at her neck. "I think we're choosing it."

_Brrrrringringring_ _brrrrrringringring_

"Ugh," Kitty reached up to the nightstand and flapped her hand around for the offending sound. She tossed Ashley his phone before she picked up her own. A message from Deadpool, complaining about her stealing his transporting belt. Tony asking her if she wanted to go to Seattle for a conference. Kitty glanced over at the window, which showed France and its beauty. "Don't think I'm makin' that one, sorry dad." She whispered.

Ashley sighed loudly and tossed his phone across the room. "I gotta go to a business meetin', cher." He stood up, leaving Kitty on the blankets on the floor. "But I'll be right back and we can continue the floor play."

"Business?" Kitty smiled and propped herself onto her side with her head on her hand. "You're not gonna blow me up again, right?"

"No," Ashley laughed and started buttoning up his shirt. "I do a little side business with my explosive expertise."

Kitty watched him pull on his pants. "You...Sell your bombs?" She asked slowly.

Ashley grinned wolfishly. "Anythin' to make a buck, right?"

Kitty subconsciously touched the very faded scar on her stomach. "You sell them to kids?"

Ashley paused. "What?"

"Teenagers." Kitty stood up and pulled on her underwear, much to the discomfort of Ashley. "You sell em to high school teenagers who want to blow up their school."

Ashley softly shook his head and walked up to Kitty. "Now hold on a minute, cher," He tried to touch her hair, but Kitty backed up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Once I sell, whatever they choose to do with it ain't any of my business."

"So, what," Kitty shrugged. "You're Walmart for weapons. That's real lovely."

"We really gonna fight over this?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, we are!"

"Why?"

"Because that bomb could've killed someone I love!"

"Maybe you need to love less people, dahlia."

"And what, just love you?" Kitty hissed as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Doesn't that sound romantic."

"It's be smarter." He shrugged. "Less leverage for people-"

"They aren't leverage, they're real goddamn people, Ashley!"

"People like Peter Parker." He leaned against the door. "That's who you were afraid would get hurt."

"Yeah? And?

"Would you be hurt because you lost a brother again," He looked her dead in the eyes. "Or because you would lose a teammate?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, cher, I ain't dumb. I know that Spiderman is Peter Park-"

He was cut off by Kitty hurling herself at him, knocking both onto the floor. He hit her face just as she elbowed his crotch.

"Aah!" Ashley doubled over in pain, giving Kitty enough time to get up and retrieve her sword from the nightstand.

Kitty pointed the blade at him.

"Do it." Ashley urged. "After everythin' I've done to you. I know you want to."

Kitty stared at him for several seconds before lowering her blade and tucking it back in its sheath.

"What are you doing?" Ashley asked in disbelief. "I know two of the biggest secrets in your life, dahlia, and you're just gonna let me go?"

"You're pathetic." Kitty spit as she reached for her handcuffs on the nightstand. Ashley jerked towards her and Kitty immediately withdrew her one of her throwing knives and slit his throat. Ashley Sinclare LeRoux dropped dead. She calmly picked up her clothes from the floor.

She strolled out of the mansion, leaving no clue she was ever there. She hopped onto her motorcycle and sped away from the scene, her eyes tearing up.


	32. Your Friendly Neighborhood Fanfic Author

Hey everyone, it's the author here! The next book will be out as soon as I finish writing it. I just want to say that this series is my life and it means so much to me that people like it and are reading it.

Until next time, this is your friendly neighborhood fanfic writing saying bye!

-rudeandginger413


	33. Stay Tuned, Looney Tunes

Hello everyone, RudeAndGinger413 here! Book 3, The Perks Of Being In A Family is currently being posted. Tune in for more excitement and some angst, and most of all, some chimichangas.


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